Going to Extreme Measures
by Ginger S
Summary: Mike Stoker suffers an injury in an unexpected way, and Johnny offers to help.
1. Chapter 1

Going to Extreme Measures

by GCS

_**DISCLAIMER: "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. and Universal Studios. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction, and any similarity to actual persons or events is purely coincidental. This story is only written for entertainment. No financial gain is being realized from it. The story, itself, is the property of the author.**_

He stood motionless in the too hot shower letting the water cascade down his slender back pulsating the sore muscles and pooling on the floor at his feet. Leaning his head against the shower wall he wondered how he had managed to avoid a trip to Rampart. Turning slightly to allow the water to massage a different spot he thought back to the last run. All he had done was reach down to grab the hose nozzle to connect it. The sharp pain in his side had taken his breath away. Cap had seen him flinch and come to make sure he was okay to finish. Sadly he knew that pain well. What was he thinking trying something like he had on his last days off? He was a grown man. He was supposed to be smarter than that. Shaking his head and smiling at himself he knew the girl was just too pretty to ignore. If she could do it so could he. It couldn't be that hard. Or could it? His sore back attested to the fact that if a body was not used to that kind of activity it would rebel against you. He was in good shape. He was a fireman after all. He had to be in good physical health. How could she be so good at it? He couldn't even get started before he fell. Well he would not let this beat him. He hated to lose.

"Stoker you gonna use all the hot water?" Chet yelled from the locker room. "The rest of us wanted more than just a steam bath ya know!"

Mike turned one last rotation in the hot water and shut it off. "Hold your horses Chet. I'm finished." Wrapping a towel gingerly around his mid section the engineer stepped out of the shower stall to be confronted by not only Roy and Johnny but his Captain as well. "What?"

"You know what Mike. You obviously pulled a muscle or something back at that fire. I want John and Roy to check you out." Captain Stanley folded his arms across his chest. "And that's an order." He spun on his heels and left the locker room.

"It's nothin' guys just turned wrong that's all." Mike tried talking his way out of an exam.

"You heard Cap Stoker now do you want to do it here or in the dorm?" Johnny smiled. He was having too much fun at this. Usually he was the one on the receiving end of Caps' orders to be checked out.

"Dorm." Mike said the one word as he grabbed his uniform and lead the way into the dorm. "But I'm telling ya it's just a sore muscle."

Roy and Johnny picked up their equipment and followed the sulking engineer into the dorm. Chet who had been stripping down for the shower while they talked to Mike reached in and turned on the water. When he thought it was warm enough he stepped in. In a few minutes the water ran cold "Awww Mike I'm gonna kill ya man this is freezing!"

Mike, Roy and Johnny all laughed at the screams coming from the shower. "Good one Mike," Johnny congratulated his friend on using all the hot water. "You got the Phantom without even trying." The three men laughed again.

"Now Mike tell me where it hurts." Roy started probing the engineers muscular back trying to pinpoint the area of tenderness.

"Ahhh," Mike made a noise and pulled away from Roy's hands. "There."

Roy bent down and looked at Mike's back to check for swelling. "It does look a little swollen. The hot shower probably helped. How did you hurt it?"

"I plead the fifth."

"Come on Mike we can't help you if you don't tell us how you injured your back," Johnny reasoned with his friend.

"I twisted it on my day off and that's all I'm saying about that. I bent down today to pick up the hose and attach it to the engine and pulled it again."

Johnny chuckled at his friend, "And whhhhaaatttt did you dooooo on your day off Mikey?" He teased the quiet man. "Did it have anything to do with a pretty girl?"

Mike blushed red from his neck to the top of his head.

"Well I can see it did. Tell me about her. What's she like? Does she like ya? Did ya go out?"

"Johnny we need to concentrate on our examination here. Mike could have seriously injured his back," Roy tried to get Johnny to concentrate.

"Aw Roy this could be good," Johnny whined.

Marco stuck his head in the door, "Cap said lunch will be ready in 5 minutes if you're finished. Is Mike okay?"

"I'm fine Marco. We'll be along in a minute." Mike answered for the group. "Now unless you have a magic pill or shot in that box of tricks there that can fix a strained muscle I suggest we all get back to work." Mike made to get up from his bunk to finish dressing.

"Hold on Mike. Did you hit your back or simply pull a muscle? I need to be sure there is no unseen injury to your internal organs." Roy was still trying to do a serious exam.

"Or did ya do too much disco dancing over the break," Johnny teased.

"I don't disco Johnny. I don't even like disco music."

"Oh well excu..u…use me! I like it, and I'm pretty good at it if I do say so myself." He spun around in a circle twirling his arms around each other in a typical disco dancing move.

"Johnny will you stop aggravating the patient and get serious?" Roy was still trying to finish a legitimate exam. "Mike when did you first injure your back?"

"Yesterday at the beach." He knew he had said too much as soon as the words left his lips. "Uh yesterday."

"At the beach huh? What were ya doin' at the beach Mikey?"

"Don't call me that."

"Okay _**Stoker**_what were ya doin' at the beach?"

"None of your business _**Gage**_."

"Mike I need to know how you injured your back so we'll know if you need to be seen at Rampart," Roy again reasoned with his friend.

Mike reached his hand up to his mouth to muffle his response and whispered, "Surfing."

"What I didn't hear you?" Roy asked.

"I was surfing Roy and I fell of the board!" Mike yelled at the two paramedics. "I didn't do very well at it and I hurt my back. Okay. You get it now. This chick was really good at it. I wanted to try it so maybe I could ask her out. I went to the beach to give it a try and busted my butt on some waves. Ya see?" Mike was clearly upset at having to tell about his failed attempt at surfing.

"Okay Mike. I'm sorry I teased ya man. You really pulled the muscle surfing? You were probably too tense. Why didn't ya say ya wanted to learn to surf? I could've taught ya; given ya some pointers or something. I've been surfing for years. All ya had to do was ask." Johnny felt bad about really upsetting his friend. "When your back is better I'll get ya started okay? Don't sweat it. It's not that hard once you know the basics. Then you just practice. What's the girl's name anyway? Maybe I know her."

"Her name? I uh I don't know. I just saw her surfing and thought I would like to meet her. What better way to meet a surfer chick than surfing?"

"You mean you tried something you've never done before to try to meet a girl?" Roy asked in amazement.

"Sure he tried it Roy. Man you've been out of circulation way too long. These days you have to work to get ahead of the competition. Sometimes you have to go to extreme measures just to get a date, right Mike?"

"Yeah."

"Whatever guys. Anyway I think you're right Mike it's just a pulled muscle. You can probably take care of it with some aspirin and rest. You might try a heating pad if it keeps troubling you. I'll let Cap know." Roy picked up the drug box and bio-phone and left the dorm.

"Johnny I would rather you not tell Chet and Marco about our conversation."

"Sure Mike mum's the word. So when do you want to learn to surf? And where can we get a look at this chick?"


	2. Chapter 2

Going to Extreme Measures

Chapter 2

by GCS

_**DISCLAIMER: "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. and Universal Studios. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction, and any similarity to actual persons or events is purely coincidental. This story is only written for entertainment. No financial gain is being realized from it. The story, itself, is the property of the author.**_

It was a couple of weeks before Mike's sore muscle felt strong enough to try surfing again. During that time he and Johnny spent as much of their off time as they could looking for the girl that had sparked this idea in Mike's head. They hung out at beaches, surf shops, and snack bars where the surfer crowd hung out. She was no where to be found. Mike was still adamant about learning to surf, and Johnny was still ready to teach him. Johnny talked Mike into going camping with him on their next two day break. They planned to leave right after shift. Johnny pulled his rover into the back lot of Station 51 loaded down with camping gear and two surf boards strapped to the roof.

Of course Chet could not let the combination of camping gear and surf boards get by without some kind of comment. "I thought you were going camping Gage. Are you planning on hanging ten down the side of a mountain?"

"No Chester I'm not. You surf on water." Johnny said without realizing Chet was playing with him again.

"So why the camping gear if you're going surfing? Are you camping on the beach? What's a matter Gage? Did you forget where you were going during the break? Some pretty girl got you all shook up?" Chet kept toying with Johnny.

"What? No. Shut up Chet." Johnny was getting frustrated with Chet's questions.

"Roll call in five," Captain Stanley called from the locker room door. "Don't be late."

Johnny moved toward his locker pulling it open in a hurry to get dressed for shift. The familiar click of the triggering mechanism to launch one of Chet's water bombs could be heard echoing through the quiet locker room. Water splashed over Johnny's face and dripped from his dark hair. "Chet!"

"See ya at roll call Johnny Boy." Chet called back as he ran from the locker room before Johnny could catch him.

The crew lined up in front of the engine ready for roll call. Well everyone was there except the soggy paramedic who came sliding up with hair still dripping a minute late. "Gage nice of you to join us," Captain Stanley said as he looked over the duty roster. "Looks like you'll have the latrines today."

"Yes Sir," Johnny responded as he glared over at Chet.

The rest of the shift progressed normally for the engine crew: a couple of trash fires, a fire at a garage that was easily contained, and a small brush fire. The two paramedics didn't fare as well. They had 15 runs including everything from a child stuck in a tree to a heart attack victim. When they returned to the station at the end of shift Roy and Johnny were exhausted, but Johnny had made a promise to Mike. He would go on the camping trip tired or not. "Mike do you think you could drive? I don't think I can."

"You're going to let Mike drive the Rover?" Chet asked.

"Yeah. I mean he drives the engine all the time Chester. I think he can handle the Rover."

"Okay you're right, but you never let anyone drive the Rover. Roy's the only person you've ever let drive your car. I've been on trips with you before and you never let me drive." Chet obviously either had his feelings hurt or was really jealous.

"Chet I only got about 45 minutes of sleep last night. Mike and I have plans. I don't think I can keep my eyes open long enough to even get the Rover out of the parking lot. It just makes sense for him to drive. Geesh what difference does that make?" Johnny was too tired to worry about Chet's comments. He handed Mike the keys and climbed into the passenger seat. Mike smiled at Chet and rattled the Rover's keys at him as he made his way to the driver's seat.

"Roy how come you're not going with your best friend on this little camping trip?" Chet tried to get a rise out of Roy.

"Chris has a scout meeting tomorrow, besides Johnny and Mike wanted to do this together. They didn't ask me. Johnny's my best friend Chet, but we don't do everything together." Roy shrugged off Chet's dig.

Chet slumped his shoulders and walked dejectedly to his car. He was upset. Johnny never let him drive the Rover, he wasn't invited on this particular camping trip, and Roy wasn't mad at Johnny for not inviting him.

"Chet why don't you come over to momma's with me for breakfast," Marco asked his best friend. He could see that Chet was upset and wanted to try to make him feel better.

"Okay buddy. Let's go." Chet immediately perked up, and he jumped in his car ready to go. "I'll meet you there Marco."

"Right behind you Chet."

Mike and Johnny were on the open road in a few minutes. Johnny gave Mike a map of how to get to the campsite he had picked out for them and had immediately fallen asleep. Not wanting to disturb Johnny but needing something to keep him company as he drove, Mike turned on the radio. After a while Mike turned up the radio a little more when Boston's "More Than A Feeling" came on. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he drove. Johnny woke up and looked over at Mike noticing that the normally quiet engineer was singing along with the radio, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, and looking very happy. Not wanting to disturb his friend Johnny turned his head back toward the window and after a while drifted back to sleep to the sounds of rock music and Mike's singing.


	3. Chapter 3

Going to Extreme Measures

Chapter 3

by GCS

_**DISCLAIMER: "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. and Universal Studios. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction, and any similarity to actual persons or events is purely coincidental. This story is only written for entertainment. No financial gain is being realized from it. The story, itself, is the property of the author.**_

Mike and Johnny arrived at their campsite after two hours on the road. Johnny was still asleep. Mike carefully, quietly removed the tent and camping gear from the Rover. Having been camping with Johnny several times he knew where to place the tent. He skillfully erected the tent and built a fire. Once he had the fire going he started a pot of coffee. During his activities he had also slipped a blanket over his friend. They were up in the mountains now and the air was quite a bit chillier than down in LA. He also left the windows to the Rover open to allow the mountain breeze to blow through. This was Johnny's world and Mike knew he loved the fresh mountain air. With camp made Mike decided to start working on lunch. Gathering a fishing pole and tackle he headed down to the edge of the lake about ten yards away.

Johnny slept for another hour while Mike fished. Waking up a little stiff from sitting in the Rover for so long Johnny wrapped the blanket around his shoulders and stumbled over to the coffee he smelled on the fire. Grabbing a cup he poured some of the hot brew. He sniffed it appreciatively and took a sip. He noticed Mike down on the bank. "Mornin' Mike."

"Hey Johnny, did you have a good nap?"

"Yeah whatcha doin'?"

"Catching lunch, are you hungry?" Mike pulled the stringer of fish out of the water revealing that he had been successful in his pursuit of enough fish for the two of them. "I'll just get these cleaned and ready for the skillet. Why don't you just relax and drink some more of that coffee."

"Okay I think I will. Man I don't think Roy and I have had that busy of a night in a long time. I hate it was like that right before our trip up here." Johnny poured another cup of coffee and sat down on a log near the fire pit.

"Don't worry about it Johnny. We're here now and I'm going to fry us up some amazing fish and fix some beans. You'll feel better in not time. I know you must be starving." Mike cleaned the fish in no time and had the food cooking over the open flame. The two friends ate in companionable silence. Mike because he was always quiet. Johnny because in the mountains he loved to be still and listen to the sounds of the nature around him. After finishing their meal and washing up the dishes in the edge of the lake they decided to go for a swim. It was early afternoon, and out of experience they knew that later in the day the water and the mountain air would be too cool to enjoy it.

"Hey Mike why don't we get the boards, and I'll show you a little about how to use them?"

"Okay by me," Mike said as he followed Johnny to the Rover.

"Why is it that I grew up in Montana, and I can surf while you grew up out here in California and you can't?"

"I don't know I just never learned. I guess I was so quiet even in high school that nobody ever invited me. I tried a couple of times, but never seemed to be able to stand up on the board. I gave up trying." Mike shrugged his shoulders and looked down at the surf boards. "Hey Johnny why is that one so much thinner than this one?"

"Well Mike that thin one is mine. It's for more experienced surfers. It actually cost about three times more than the starter board. The one you're going to use is thicker to help with balance and floatation." Johnny spread his hands across his chest and grinned his biggest crooked grin. "Since I don't need help with floatation and balance I can use a professional board. This baby will glide through the water like a knife through butter."

Mike laughed at his friend. "Well why don't you show me why we are up here in the mountains with surf boards instead of down there in the ocean."

"Balance my friend. It starts with balancing on your board. Now let's get these into the water and see what ya got."

The two friends slipped into the cool mountain lake. "Man that's a little cold!" Johnny almost yelled.

Mike stood waist deep in the lake with his hands on the board. "What do I do first?"

Johnny demonstrated how to get up on the board without tipping over. Mike tried it unsuccessfully dunking into the lake several times before finally getting up on the board. Johnny made him get off and back on the board several times before they could move on to the next lesson. Once Mike seemed like he could get on his board with ease they moved on to paddling. "Now Mike you want to get down close to your board and paddle straight ahead, so you cup your hands a little and dig in." Johnny demonstrated for Mike and watched as he moved the board through the water. Mike actually did this part with no problem at all. "Okay that's enough for now. If we don't get started catching dinner we may have to get by on trail mix." Laughing at Johnny's comment the two men left the lake and put their surf boards on the bank, grabbed their fishing poles and started working on catching their next meal. One thing Johnny insisted on was at least partially living off the land. When he camped by himself he would usually bring a bag of homemade trail mix. He used fresh berries and nuts, coconut, and dried fruits. He would usually eat fish. However, when he brought friends along he would also bring some canned beans and sometimes eggs and bacon. Johnny knew Mike enjoyed catching their meals too, so he had not brought the eggs and bacon on this trip. In a short while they had enough fish for dinner and started the preparation.

Everyone at the Station made fun of Johnny's cooking abilities. He usually fixed hamburgers and hot dogs claiming he didn't know how to cook much, but they all knew that on a camp fire Johnny was a wonderful chef. He could prepare a meal fit for a king over an open fire. Mike sat back and watched as Johnny expertly prepared dinner.

After dinner they decided to go on a short hike. Johnny liked to go up to a ledge overlooking the valley below where it seemed like he was up in the clouds looking down on the earth below. Whenever he camped up here he would sit up there and watch the sunset and then gaze at the stars in the clear night sky. Mike liked the fact that Johnny appreciated the beauty of nature. It helped him to learn to take in his own surroundings. Funny thing was that the always moving and always talking Johnny Gage of the crew of Station 51 was a different person up in the woods. Here he was very quiet and still. In the woods Johnny actually seemed to be one with nature. He moved quietly and softly not disturbing the peace of it all. Johnny was a very complex man.

Mike wondered about the question Johnny had asked him earlier. 'How was it that Johnny grew up in Montana and could surf, and he having grown up in California couldn't?' What had kept him from learning? Was he embarrassed? Was he too shy? He didn't have an answer to that. What he did know is that he had not had very many friends growing up and now the crew at Station 51 made up most of his collection of friends now. He was extremely quiet most of the time and because of that people just thought he wasn't any fun. The truth was that he actually could be quite funny and entertaining given the chance. It took Mike a long time to warm up to others, but once he had they enjoyed his company. He truly hoped that if he learned to surf he would have a chance with the girl he saw. Something about her made his heart stir.

Johnny stood up and without a word the two friends made their way back down the trail to camp and settled in for the night.


	4. Chapter 4

I want to extend my thanks to everyone who is reading and following this story.

Just so you know I know nothing about surfing. Google is my friend! However, I have made up the techniques Johnny is using to teach Mike how to surf based on my research. I hope I don't say anything that would offend any of your real surfers out there.

Remember this is fiction. ;O)

I've always thought surfing would be awesome, but as I do not live anywhere near the ocean never tried it.

Going to Extreme Measures

Chapter 4

by GCS

_**DISCLAIMER: "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. and Universal Studios. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction, and any similarity to actual persons or events is purely coincidental. This story is only written for entertainment. No financial gain is being realized from it. The story, itself, is the property of the author.**_

The next morning dawned bright. Johnny was up before dawn and Mike awoke to the smell of breakfast and coffee. "Morning."

"Hey Mike hope you slept well. We have our work cut out for us today." Johnny looked relaxed and refreshed. He was sitting by the fire shirtless, barefooted and wearing cutoff shorts, sipping coffee. He reached over and handed Mike a plate full of more fish and some fresh fruit. "Eat up my friend. You're going to need your strength. Today you will learn to stand up on that board." He smiled over at Mike.

"Strength?" Mike asked looking inquisitively over at Johnny.

"Yep. It takes a lot of muscles and patience to learn to balance on a rocking board Mike. You will probably be tired and sore by the time you get the hang of it."

"Oh." Mike still looked a little unsure.

"Yep. You will have to use a lot of upper body muscles to control your board and push yourself up. Then your legs will control the direction and balance. Your abdominal muscles will get a workout too." Johnny smiled.

"That sounds difficult."

"Nah just takes practice."

The two friends finished their meal and cleaned up. Mike changed into a pair of cutoffs, and they headed to the water.

"Okay Mike show me what you remember from yesterday." Mike proceeded to climb aboard the surf board and paddle toward the center of the lake. Johnny followed grinning. "Great job. Now on to the next lesson. Watch me as I stand up then I'll tell you how it's done." Johnny raised his chest off of the sleek board he was on. He put his hands on the edges of the board about half way between the middle of the board and the tip, pushed up as if he were doing pushups, pulled his knees towards his chest and planted his feet on the board. One foot was toward the back of the board and the other about midpoint. Johnny made it look easy, but Mike knew he would have to work at it before he would be able to do it as smoothly as Johnny. "So that's how you do it. You ready to give it your first shot?"

"No…yes…I um…yeah okay." Mike stumbled over his words. He was unsure of his own ability to stand on his board. He didn't want to be embarrassed, but then this was Johnny. They were friends, good friends. Johnny was here to help him. "What do I do first?"

Johnny explained to Mike how he had placed his hands and body on the surf board. "I think we should start by just getting you on your knees. Then we can go from there."

Mike planted his hands gripping hard on the side of the board.

"Hey Mike relax man you'll leave hand prints in the board. Just grab hold but don't grip so hard. First of all if you grab on too hard you'll offset your balance. You have to be ready to let go fast. Just place your hands like this." Johnny demonstrated again how to place his hands. Mike tried again and seemed a little more relaxed. "Okay that's better." Next Mike pushed up with his arms and chest. He raised his upper body and pushed off the board and quickly fell right off going completely under and coming up gasping for air. His arms were tired and now his chest hurt from coughing up water. "You okay?" Johnny went into paramedic mode in an instant."

"Down boy, I'm fine. Just got some water up my nose." Mike chuckled at the natural professionalism that came over Johnny when he thought someone might need his medical training. He climbed back on the board to try again. Finally after getting dunked several more times Mike got up to his knees. Though he was still a bit wobbly on the board he had achieved success. He was very please with himself, and Johnny congratulated him with obvious pride. They had been at it for two hours, and Mike was exhausted.

"Let's take a break. I think I've turned into a prune." Johnny laughed as he looked at his wrinkled fingers.

"Me too." Mike trudged up the bank, laid his board down on the shore and plopped down beside it. "I didn't realize how hard this was. I have even more appreciation for the abilities of those people who do this for a living. I can't even get up on the board, but they glide through a massive wave like it's nothing. I don't know if I'll ever be able to do that, especially in front of all the other people."

"Aww Mike you will when I get through with you." Johnny had joined him on the shore. "Now why don't you rest here a bit? I'm gonna get the fishing gear so we can have some lunch in a little while." Mike was glad to take Johnny up on his offer to stay put. The truth was he didn't think he could have gotten up if he wanted to. He laid back in the soft grass on the lakeshore and quickly drifted off to sleep in the warm sun. Some time later Johnny woke him up with a hot cup of coffee. "Rise and shine."

After a good lunch of more fish, wild berries, and beans the two friends were ready to work on standing all the way up. "Johnny can you show me how you stand up again? Maybe I can do it better if I can watch you do it a couple of times. You know work out the engineering of it all in my head."

"Engineering of It huh? Like you do with Red?" Johnny laughed at his friend.

"Just shut up and show me again would ya?" Mike laughed with Johnny who was already gliding through the clear blue water with ease. Johnny was up in an instant and guided his board easily through the water. Mike noticed that Johnny could keep his board moving without strong waves. He rocked a little kept his knees slightly bent and moved his body with a grace Mike had not seen before. Johnny was always the one to go first on dangerous climbs on cranes or building ledges. He had seen him balance on the smallest space, but never notice the peaceful gracefulness he now had. He wondered if this was an extension of the bond Johnny seemed to have with nature. After a long trek across the lake standing on his board Johnny lowered himself without getting into the water and resumed his earlier position paddling back toward Mike.

"Well you gonna sit there all day?" Johnny teased Mike.

"No but I think I'll get some sun block before I go again. I don't tan as easily as you." Mike went back to camp to get his sun block. As a Californian he had seasoned his skin to the sun. He didn't tan as easily as Johnny, but he didn't burn like Roy either. Resuming his spot on the bank he poured the lotion into the palm of his hand and smoothed it over his already warm skin. The cool lotion felt heavenly as he rubbed it across his sore shoulders and down his chest. "Man I think I'm going to feel this workout tomorrow."

"I bet you will. I told you that it took strength."

"Yeah I guess you did." Back in the water Mike noticed that mounting the board was getting easier. Thinking about how Johnny had moved to stand on his board Mike tried mimicking the moves. He was able to get all the way up before he fell hard on his back into the lake. Sputtering and coughing he came to the surface again. He was glad to have the leg rope secured around his ankle so that his board was right there for him. Again Johnny looked at him with a paramedic's eye and a cocked eyebrow. "I'm okay." Mike coughed out the answer to the unasked question.

"Okay then by all means give it another go." Johnny encouraged Mike.

After several more dunks in the lake Mike actually stood up on his board and stayed there for at least five seconds. "I did it!" He excitedly yelled. "I actually did it!"

"Yep buddy you sure did." Johnny was grinning widely at his friend. "You sure did."

Mike stood up several more times before deciding he was ready to take another break. "Man Johnny thanks. I didn't think I would ever be able to do that. Maybe I will eventually be able to actually get out in the ocean and not fall off."

"You will Mike, but we're not ready for that yet. Listen we are back on shift in the morning. Do you want to head back tonight or in the morning? It will take us a couple of hours to get there, but we can do which ever you prefer. I've done it both ways, but if we stay tonight I'd like to get to the station in time to shower before shift."

"Well I'm really tired. I would like at least one more of your fish dinners, but I think we should head back tonight. I have to get a clean uniform from my place anyway before shift."

"Okay let's get to catching that dinner then." Johnny rose to get his fishing gear. Mike followed and got his pole too. Together in a short time they had caught enough fish for the two of them. Mike cleaned the fish as Johnny went into the woods for some more fresh berries. After dinner they packed up camp and were headed back toward Los Angeles. Johnny drove this time. Mike was tired and dozed in the passenger seat. The radio was on appropriately playing "Surfin' USA" by the Beach Boys.


	5. Chapter 5

Going to Extreme Measures

Chapter 5

by GCS

_**DISCLAIMER: "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. and Universal Studios. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction, and any similarity to actual persons or events is purely coincidental. This story is only written for entertainment. No financial gain is being realized from it. The story, itself, is the property of the author.**_

Mike was usually the first member of the A-shift of Station 51 to arrive at the station, but today that was not the case. Captain Hank Stanley was first in with Roy following closely behind. Marco arrived just as the coffee that Captain Stanley had started was finished brewing. Chet came into the dayroom next with Johnny following him ranting about something Chet had said in the locker room. Captain Stanley told the group that roll call would be in fifteen minutes as he headed toward his office.

Fifteen minutes later the men lined up in front of the engine missing one member. "Has anyone seen Mike this morning?" Captain Stanley asked the group just as they all heard the squeal of tires on the back lot. Hank looked around the engine and met eyes with his engineer as Mike almost ran to the locker room.

A few minutes later Mike joined the group. "Sorry Cap."

"Well Stoker I don't know when I've had to do this, but you'll have latrines today."

"Yes sir."

"I'll see you in my office after we finish here." Mike nodded his understanding and Captain Stanley continued with the assignments and announcements. "Okay men dismissed." Mike and Cap entered the office. "Take a seat Mike."

"No thanks Cap."

"Everything all right?"

"Um yes sir. I'm real sorry about being late. I um I overslept. I forgot to set my alarm. Johnny and I got in from camping late last night and….."

"It's okay Mike. It happens to the best of us, but as my second in command you really need to keep up the good example you have always set. As long as there is nothing else you need to tell me you're dismissed."

Mike turned to leave without another word which did not surprise Captain Stanley. Mike was a man of few words, and Captain Stanley knew that he felt bad about being late. Mike had always been very conscientious about his performance on the job. Hank didn't know what Johnny and Mike had done on their camping trip, but whatever it was had obviously tired Mike out. Shaking his head at the thought of Mike and Johnny together on a trip, and the thought made him laugh, Mike was the quietest member of his crew and Johnny was the most talkative. He knew that if he spent a few days off with Johnny he too would probably be exhausted from trying to keep up with the younger man.

As Mike left Captain Stanley's office and headed across the apparatus bay Johnny fell in step beside him. "You okay Mike?"

"Yeah Johnny I just overslept. I never dreamed this surfing thing would be so tough. I'm a lot stiffer and sore than I thought I would be this morning. I can't believe I was late. I haven't been late in years. Maybe this whole thing isn't worth it if it's causing me to screw up on the job."

"Mike being late once in a while is not the end of the world. So you overslept. I do it all the time. I mean I don't mean to, but it happens. You're great at this job. Don't beat yourself up over being late one time." He patted Mike on the shoulder.

"Okay Johnny. I have to get busy on the latrine. I want to get that done so I can work on Red."

Johnny went back to helping Roy with the morning inventory and equipment check. "You know Roy some people are just so uptight."

Roy knew the tone in Johnny's voice. He knew that if he didn't get Johnny off this line of thinking and fast he would be hearing a rant all day long. "I know Johnny. How were your days off? Did you and Mike have a good camping trip?"

"Huh? Oh yeah it was great. You know the mountains are beautiful this time of year." Roy smiled and nodded his head glad he had been successful in redirecting Johnny's train of thought. "The sky was so clear. When we hiked up to the ridge to watch the sunset I think I could count every star in the sky. It was amazing."

"Hey Gage what did you do to Mikey to make him late this morning?" Roy cringed at Chet's remark. He knew that it would get Johnny right back on the subject he had just gotten him off of. "You make him hike all the way home or something?"

"Chet I'll have you know…" Johnny stopped himself from saying too much. He had promised Mike that he wouldn't tell anyone what they were up to. "I'll have you know we had a great time fishing and hiking. Why do you think that Mike's being with me on our days off would make him late today anyway?"

"Well Gage the man hasn't been late since I started working with him. Not even once, but he spends a few days with you and suddenly he's late just like you usually are." Chet pulled at the hairs on the end of his mustache as he baited Johnny for one of their typical arguments. What Chet didn't expect was for Johnny to suddenly grow very quiet. Johnny actually took what Chet said to heart wondering if he in fact had done something to cause Mike to be late. Mike had a perfect record with the fire department, and Johnny didn't want to be the cause of him messing up his record.

Mike had just walked across the bay to the cleaning storage cabinet and seeing that Chet had struck a cord with Johnny He wanted to set things right in a hurry. "Back off Kelly. I was late, because I didn't set my alarm. My being late had nothing to do with Johnny or our camping trip. I just forgot to set it. Case closed." Johnny looked very relieved and smiled at Mike. Roy looked back and forth between Mike and Johnny. It was apparent that these two had deepened their friendship in recent weeks. Roy was glad to see them getting along, but he also felt a twinge of jealousy over his best friend spending so much time with the engineer. Before anyone could say anything else the tones went off and sent the station to a call at a restaurant fire.


	6. Chapter 6

Going to Extreme Measures

Chapter 6

by GCS

_**DISCLAIMER: "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. and Universal Studios. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction, and any similarity to actual persons or events is purely coincidental. This story is only written for entertainment. No financial gain is being realized from it. The story, itself, is the property of the author.**_

When Station 51 arrived at the restaurant it was fully involved. They were the second crew on the scene. Getting their assignments the group of men moved to enter the burning building: Johnny and Roy went inside to look for victims, Chet and Marco with Captain Stanley backing them up were assigned to enter from the rear, and Mike stood at his usual spot manning the engine. Inside the building Johnny and Roy moved toward the kitchen which was where the fire started. The cook was listed as missing. They hoped to find him alive.

The smoke was so thick they couldn't see. They hunkered low and almost crawled through the charred room. "Roy I think I see something." Johnny moved over by the grill. He stumbled on something and quickly realized it was the cook's foot. "He's here. I've got him Roy. Let's get out of here." Johnny put his air mask over the cook's face and hoisted him over his shoulder. The man was huge. He was so heavy Johnny almost couldn't lift him, but he had to get the man out. Stumbling towards the direction he had entered from Johnny soon met up with Roy. The weight of the man was causing Johnny to breath deeper than he wanted to with no air mask. Roy saw how Johnny was coughing and shared his air with him as they slowly made their way out of the building.

As soon as they reached the fresh air Johnny dropped to his knees buckling under the weight of the obese man. Mike quickly ran over and helped Roy move the cook over to the squad. Johnny put his air mask over his own face and sucked in the oxygen. After a few minutes Mike was back at Johnny's side helping him up.

"Come on Johnny let's get you over to the squad." Johnny didn't try to speak he just nodded his head in agreement as he coughed again.

"Hey Roy I think Johnny here took in too much smoke. I'll get the oxygen from the engine. Do you need anything else?" Mike asked as he walked toward the engine.

"No. We're okay here." Roy said as he called the cook's vitals in to Rampart. He had regained consciousness. "Rampart victim appears to have hit his head when he collapsed. Possible concussion."

"51 start IV D5W, continue oxygen, and transport," instructed Dr. Joe Early from Rampart's base station.

"Rampart we have another victim."

"No Roy I'm okay now." Johnny protested.

"Go ahead 51."

"Rampart we have a code I age 25 victim of smoke inhalation. Stand by for vitals."

"Standing by 51." Roy took Johnny's blood pressure, pulse, and respirations and relayed the information to Rampart. "51 continue oxygen and transport," Joe instructed.

"Well Junior looks like you get to avoid an IV, but Dr. Early wants to see you." Roy told Johnny as he packed up the equipment to transport. Johnny grabbed the bio-phone and drug box and stood up to put them on the ambulance. "What do you think you're doing Johnny? Take it easy. I'll get that." Roy reached for the equipment.

"Roy I'm okay, really. Why don't you let me ride in with the patient? You can bring in the squad."

"I don't think so Johnny. Now let's go." Johnny and Roy both climbed into the ambulance. "Cap will get Chet or Marco to bring the squad." Johnny rolled his eyes at Roy and settled on the bench holding the oxygen over his face.

A short while later the fire was out and Chet had taken the squad to Rampart to pick up the paramedics. Johnny had undergone a breathing treatment. They were ready to head back to the Station.

Arriving back at the station they were met by Captain Stanley coming out of the office. "John are you okay to finish the shift?"

"Yes sir. I've been released for duty, just a simple case of smoke inhalation. I'm good to go." Johnny smiled at Cap as he went into the dayroom. Roy headed to the locker room to shower. Chet went to the kitchen for something cold to drink.

"Hey Johnny you okay?" Marco asked him as he entered the room.

"Yep." Johnny opened the refrigerator and pulled out the milk. Turning to the cabinet he grabbed a glass and poured it full. Drinking half of the glass in one big gulp he refilled the glass and put the milk back. He sat at the table and continued to drink coughing between gulps.

"You sound a little rough there Johnny," Mike looked at his friend with concern.

"I'm good guys really. I'll be even better once I get my turn in a hot shower."

Marco and Chet decided to shoot some hoops while they waited for a turn in the shower which left Mike and Johnny in the kitchen alone.

"Johnny, how did you learn to have so much control of your board? I mean how is it that you can stay up on it even when you are not on a wave?" Mike asked.

"Well Mike it's really a lot like the trick riding I did on the reservation. You just get used to it. You learn where to place your feet, when to bend your knees and how much to bend them. You learn to sway into the movement of the board."

"Trick riding? Riding on what?" Mike smiled at Johnny.

"Horses."

"What kind of tricks did you do?" Mike was very interested in this new aspect to his friend.

"Well I have this friend who has a stable that rents out horses. Why don't we go over there tomorrow after shift and I'll show you some things. Maybe you can try some of them too. They might help you with your balance on the surf board. Have you ever ridden a horse?"

"Yeah I can ride. That sounds like a plan. Unless we get toned out and don't get any sleep." Mike was excited about going riding. He hadn't ridden in a long time.

"Well if we do then we'll nap first and ride later," Johnny suggested.

"Are you sure you'll be up to it after all that smoke?" Mike was clearly worried about Johnny.

"Yes I'll be up to it." Johnny smiled as he coughed out his answer.


	7. Chapter 7

Going to Extreme Measures

Chapter 7

by GCS

_**DISCLAIMER: "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. and Universal Studios. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction, and any similarity to actual persons or events is purely coincidental. This story is only written for entertainment. No financial gain is being realized from it. The story, itself, is the property of the author.**_

The rest of the afternoon was quiet for the guys. Johnny did sound better after a hot shower, although he was still coughing some from the smoke he had taken in earlier that day. They had actually been able to enjoy an entire meal at lunch time without getting called out. At four thirty their luck ran out.

The station was called out to another big fire, this time at a small winery on the outskirts of town. By the time they got there the place was totally involved. "Not much we can do here but surround and drown the buildings." Captain Stanley instructed his men and the incoming responses to do just that, surround and drown. Since there seemed to be no one still inside any of the small buildings that made up the storage area, office and production rooms Johnny and Roy were also assigned to pull a line. A short time later the owner of the winery pulled up at the scene and ran towards the building where the offices were. Captain Stanley grabbed him by the arm, "Hey there you can't go in there."

"But my secretary, I don't see here anywhere. I think she may still be in there. You have to find her."

"Okay sir why don't you step over here beside the engine and wait. I'll get my paramedics to look for her. Can you tell me where she might be?" The distraught man quickly explained the layout of the main office. Captain Stanley called Johnny and Roy over and filled them in on the situation.

"Okay Cap," they both responded in unison as they turned and ran towards the burning building. Once inside the front door Roy tapped Johnny on the shoulder and pointed towards the far end of the hall then he pointed to the offices near the reception area they now stood in. Johnny responded by pointing down the hall. He would go further in and let Roy handle the offices closer. They nodded agreement and set out on the search. There was no time for debating who would go where. The fire was fast eating away at the building. Chet and Marco followed Johnny and Roy into the reception area to help offer any protection from the flames they could. The guys checked each small office quickly and put an X on the doors as they exited. Marco and Chet kept a steady stream of water on the hallway keeping it clear of flames.

Johnny entered a room that appeared to be used for filing. He weaved his way between the rows of file cabinets. The smoke had gotten thicker and visibility was very difficult. As he rounded the last row he found the missing woman. Immediately dropping on his knees beside her he checked for a pulse. He found one. Stripping his mask off he brought it down on her face so she could breathe clean air. He quickly checked her for apparent injuries and finding none he scooped her up and lifted her. Knowing that the fire was getting hotter he hurried to the exit. Stepping into the hall he almost ran into Roy as he came out of the room across the hall. Knowing that Johnny had already been exposed to smoke earlier that day Roy took his mask off replaced Johnny's with it. He then pushed Johnny's mask back over his face and followed the man out of the building. Once they got outside Roy ran over to the squad to get the equipment out. Mike had already placed a yellow blanket on the ground for the victim. Johnny lowered her down and began taking her vitals as Mike placed an oxygen mask on her.

Johnny pulled his mask off again and immediately started coughing. Mike looked over at him with concern. "I'm okay Mike. Just irritated my throat again," Johnny assured his friend.

As the exchange took place by the squad other activity continued all around them. At a fire scene things happen really fast. Captain Stanley had gone into the burning office building just as Johnny and Roy had exited to make sure Chet and Marco had everything under control and were on their way out. As Johnny finished telling Mike he was all right they could hear the falling debris inside the nearby structure as the ceiling caved in on their Captain and crew mates.

Debris fell all around Chet and Marco as they dropped the hose and turned to run from the building. They both knew it was going to go, but stayed behind to make sure Johnny and Roy got out of the building with the victim. Captain Stanley also knew as soon as he first stepped through the entrance. Being by the door he was hit by the least amount of debris, however he was knocked backwards and hit his head hard on the reception area desk causing him a few seconds of disorientation. Chet was knocked down on top of Marco causing him the worst of the fall. Marco's arm fell hard against the nozzle on the end of the fire hose. He felt the cut on his wrist as it happened. Chet twisted his ankle as he fell. The debris fell hard against his back.

Johnny, Roy and Mike heard the commotion behind them. "Roy you got her?" Johnny asked as he rose up and began to pull his air mask over his face.

"Go!" Roy told him.

Johnny sprinted to the entrance and ducked inside. He almost immediately found Captain Stanley who was scrambling to his feet. "Cap are you all right?"

Captain Stanley looked over at Johnny and nodded that he was okay. Together they began searching for their fallen crew mates. "They were right over there. We were coming out. They should be together."

Neither Chet nor Marco had lost consciousness so they started trying to get up. "Marco are you okay buddy?"

"I cut my arm, but I'm all right. Are you okay?"

"Twisted my ankle I think. I can't get up. There's too much debris."

"Chet, Marco?" Johnny yelled to them.

"Over here Gage." Chet called back.

"Are you near Marco?"

"I'm here too Johnny." Marco pushed against Chet trying to help him up.

"Are you hurt?" Captain Stanley asked this time.

"I cut my arm and Chet hurt his ankle, but mostly we just can't get up."

"Hang tight. We just need to move some of this stuff," Johnny told them as he lifted the last big piece of ceiling off of Chet and began to check him for injury. Chet struggled with Johnny and got up anyway.

"Geesh Gage we told you it was just my ankle." Chet stumbled as he got up and Johnny caught him. Captain Stanley helped Marco up and the four men moved to exit the building.

Mike and Roy were anxiously watching the doorway looking for their friends. As soon as Mike saw the men coming out of the building he ran over to help them. The group of weary fire men trudged over to the blanket beside the squad. Johnny wrapped Marco's wrist as Roy put a precautionary splint on Chet's ankle. Next Johnny checked Captain Stanley's head for bumps. "Okay Chet you go in the ambulance with Roy and his victim. Marco you ride with Johnny in the squad and Mike and I will follow in the engine. We'll see everyone at Rampart." The men knew better than to argue with their captain. They would all go to Rampart and anyone with the slightest injury would be checked out.

An hour later the crew from 51's had been treated and released for duty. Marco had four stitches to his wrist. Chet had his ankle wrapped and had been given instructions to keep it elevated when he was not on a run. Captain Stanley had a minor concussion. Johnny was given another breathing treatment. They were tired and hungry when they all came into the kitchen. "How about some sandwiches and chips for a quick dinner?" Mike asked. The group of men nodded their heads in agreement. They were too hungry to wait for anything more. Mike grabbed all of the supplies from the refrigerator and began setting it out on the table. Johnny got up and started a fresh pot of coffee. Roy got plates and chips from the cabinets. Soon they were enjoying the normal banter around the meal table.

The rest of the night for the crew went smoothly. The squad was only called out on two minor calls and the engine to a back yard fire set by a couple of kids. The morning tones sounded waking a fairly well rested group. Shift change came and everyone headed home except for Mike and Johnny who were going horse back riding. The two men climbed into Mike's pick up truck to make the short trip.

"Hey Mike you gonna risk hangin' out with Gage again? Be careful you'll be late again next shift," Chet yelled to the men as they were climbing into the truck.

Johnny and Mike looked at each other and smiled and together they leaned out of the truck windows and yelled, "Shut up Chet" as Mike pulled the truck out of the parking space. They waved as they drove away laughing.

"Man Roy they sure are hangin' out together a lot. Johnny seems to have found a new best friend." Chet again tried to stir up something between Roy and Johnny.

"Chet you can give up on trying to make me mad at Johnny and Mike. I know what they're doing. I'm glad they are having fun together. They both need it. Besides for your information they've been doing stuff together for years. This was not the first time Mike has been camping with Johnny. He just doesn't always tell YOU about it." Roy smiled at the thought that he had just gotten the best of Chet. He could tell by the man's open mouth that he had no clue that Johnny and Mike had spent time together before. Roy backed his Porsche out and drove away leaving Chet standing alone in the lot.

Once again Marco took pity on his best friend and invited him to breakfast. "Come on Amigo, breakfast awaits us at Momma's." Chet limped over to his vehicle and followed Marco home.


	8. Chapter 8

Going to Extreme Measures

Chapter Eight

by GCS

_**DISCLAIMER: "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. and Universal Studios. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction. This story is only written for entertainment. No financial gain is being realized from it. The story, itself, is the property of the author.**_

Johnny and Mike pulled into the drive to the stables where Johnny's friends let him ride. He spent a lot of time helping with the horses. Johnny had grown up on a ranch and was very familiar with tending the beautiful animals. "So you know these people pretty well Johnny?" Mike looked around the sprawling ranch as they neared the barn and stables.

"Yeah I met them years ago when I used to hang out at the rodeos. They let me work with the horses some and ride whenever I want. Someday I'm going to have a set up like this, well maybe not this big, but definitely a place to raise horses." Johnny led the way over to the stables. After introducing Mike to his friends and saddling up the two horses they would be riding the two friends set out on the trails around the ranch.

"So Johnny when are you going to show me how trick riding relates to surfing?"

"We need to loosen up the horses first. There's a pasture at the end of this trail. I'll show you some stuff once we get there, but remember Mike it's not about how trick riding relates to surfing. It's about balance." Johnny smiled. They rode together enjoying the trail. Mike was an accomplished rider. He had obviously spent time on horses. Before long they had reached their destination. "Okay Mike now I can show you what I mean about balance." Johnny jumped down from his mount and took the reins. He walked the horse out towards the center of the field. Slowly he rechecked the saddle securing the flank cinch making sure the saddle was tight. Mike slid from his saddle and stood on the side of the pasture beside his horse.

Johnny walked around his horse rubbing and patting her and constantly talking quietly to her. Once he was sure she was calm and the saddle secure he moved up on her right side. He reached up and placed his hands on the saddle horn and to Mike's amazement did a complete flip in mid air landing in the saddle. With a huge Gage grin he made a clucking noise and horse and man took off at a fast trot which quickly turned into a gallop. Johnny slid his leg over the saddle and with his body all on one side of the galloping horse he jumped down to the ground while still holding on to the saddle. He lifted himself over the horse and jumped again on the other side. Mike was shocked at the speed at which both the horse and his friend moved. Johnny went easily from one side of the horse to the other while the horse continued across the pasture at a full gallop. Mike could tell that Johnny was really having fun by the constant smile on his face.

Once they had reached the end of the open space Johnny turned the horse around and came back for another pass. This time he jumped down and turned around above the saddle in the air and landed facing the back of the horse. Riding backwards for a few seconds before slipping off and completing a similar jump landing facing forward again, Johnny and the horse worked as one to entertain Mike. "Yee Haw," Johnny yelled as he once again turned backwards in the saddle. Mike was clapping and laughing at his crazy trick riding friend. Johnny slowed the horse to a trot and then a walk as he led her over to Mike. Slipping from the saddle he turned his grinning face to his friend, "Now I'll show you how the Indians do it."

"What do you mean?"

"Watch my friend and you shall see." Johnny removed the saddle and laid it on the ground near Mike's horse. He sat down on the ground and slipped out of his boots and sox and placed them beside the saddle. He patted the horse and rubbed her down where the saddle had been then he nudged her back toward the open field while clucking and speaking to her in his native language. Mike was truly impressed by the ease with which Johnny could control the horse just by his touch and soft spoken words.

The horse took off at a fast walk with Johnny jogging barefooted along beside. As the horse picked up speed so did Johnny. Then without warning Johnny moved up beside the horse and leapt up on her back by grabbing hold of her mane and slipping his leg up and across her back. He raised his arms in the air like wings. In an instant Johnny had slipped out of his shirt and rode in the open air shirtless with his hair whipping in the wind. He was clearly in his own element. Mike chuckled at the sight.

Johnny turned the horse and returned across the pasture one minute he was laying sideways across the running animal and the next he was laying the opposite direction. Nearing the end of the space he once again turned the horse only this time he pulled his knees up in a similar fashion as he did when showing Mike how to stand on the surf board. Johnny moved from his kneeling position fluidly into a complete stand with his arms outstretched. He rode the entire length of the field standing on the bare back of the galloping horse. Mike could visualize his friend on top of a surfboard in the same position with his knees slightly bent and his arms in the air. At the end of the field this time instead of turning the horse as he had before Johnny did a backwards aerial flip and landed on the ground. The horse immediately slowed and trotted back to Johnny nuzzling him as they walked back to Mike.

"Wow Johnny how did you ever learn to do that?" Mike looked at his friend with the greatest respect and admiration. "That was awesome!"

"I told you Mike. That's how we Indians like to ride." Johnny laughed. "I learned that on the reservation, back on my parent's ranch when I was just a kid. Besides like I said before it's all about balance."

"Well Johnny you definitely have balance. I can certainly understand how you're able to keep your steadiness while going out on ledges or walking across cranes and construction beams to save a victim. Now how about we take these horses back to the stable, brush them down, feed and water them, and then I'll take you to lunch. I know a really great hot dog stand on a certain beach where a certain pretty woman likes to surf. We can see if she's there." Mike reached down and picked up Johnny's saddle.

"Okay Mike that sounds good to me. After that ride I think I could use a good lunch and a swim in the ocean would be nice too. Let's get out of here."


	9. Chapter 9

Going to Extreme Measures

Chapter 9

by GCS

_**DISCLAIMER: "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. and Universal Studios. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction. This story is only written for entertainment. No financial gain is being realized from it. The story, itself, is the property of the author.**_

As Mike pulled his truck onto the street Johnny had an idea. "Hey Mike, why don't we swing by my place and pick up the boards? We might get lucky enough to catch a wave."

"You might get lucky enough. I'm not sure I'm ready to try it in front of a crowd yet."

"Well we'll see about that once we get there." Johnny grinned at his friend.

After the short detour by Johnny's to get the boards the two friends found a parking place by the beach, pulled their boards from the back of Mike's truck and headed out to find a spot to spread their towels on the beach. It wasn't very crowded being most people were at work. Once they deposited their stuff in the warm sand they headed over to the hot dog stand. Behind the counter stood an older man who looked like he fell straight off the page of a surfing magazine with scenes from Hawaii. "Well I'll be, if it isn't Johnny Gage."

"Hey Gus, this is my friend Mike Stoker." Johnny said as he leaned both arms on the counter.

"Well Mike nice to meet ya. Any friend of Johnny here is a friend of mine. So Johnny what'll it be? The regular?"

"No Gus, I…um…I don't think I can eat that many any more. Just give me two dogs and some fries. Oh and a shake, chocolate."

"What about you Mike? He used to always eat at least four. How many for you?" Gus said chuckling.

"I'll have what Johnny's having." Mike shook his head at the thought of Johnny eating four hot dogs.

"Well either of you want chili and cheese?"

"Yeah, this is Gus' Chili-N-Cheese Dog Hut isn't it? Of course we want chili-n-cheese." Johnny turned to watch the few surfers attempting to ride the waves. "See over there Mike the way that guy is getting up. He's too early. He'll fall before he gets started. You have to hit it just right. You have to wait on the wave." Mike and Johnny watched as the would be surfer fell just as Johnny had predicted. "You learn to feel it. Let it lift you. Just like when you ride a horse you move with it. You have to remember you can't really control its movement. I mean with a horse you can turn it or let it know you want to walk or run. With a wave you turn your board for direction. Once you get the hang of staying up you can learn to adjust your speed with your body movements."

"Here you go boys." Gus laid their lunch on the counter. Mike reached for his wallet. "Uh Uh no way. Your money's no good here."

"Come on Gus you gotta pay the bills on this place. We didn't come here to get a free lunch."

"No Johnny. I won't take it. I paid this place off years ago. You'll never pay for food from me kid and neither will anyone here with ya."

"Thanks Gus." Johnny shrugged his shoulders at Mike, "guess you don't have to buy my lunch after all." Mike smiled. They got their food and went back to sit on their towels and eat their lunch.

"I thought I was treating you to a new place for lunch and find out you know the owner. How do you know Gus?"

Johnny played with a French fry on his plate for a few minutes before answering Mike. "When I first came to LA before I found my aunt I spent a lot of time on the beach." He paused. "I didn't have much money and after everyone left for the night I would find a secluded spot to sleep. One night it rained I was soaked to the bone. It was cold and I needed to get out of the storm."

Sighing he continued, "I broke into Gus' place to get dry. I didn't take anything. Not even anything to eat." He placed his hand on his chest in Johnny Gage fashion when he spoke about himself. "I was so cold and hypothermic I guess. I passed out. He found me the next morning. I was pretty sick. He let me sleep it off for several days on a cot in his storeroom. I helped him out at the stand to pay him back until I found my aunt. He let me sleep there for two weeks."

Perking up and turning to face Mike he grinned, "He's the one who taught me to surf. He's Hawaiian. I guess you can't grow up in Hawaii and not learn to surf. I've heard they even close the schools when the surf's up."

It was Mike's turn to play with his fries. He had no idea that Johnny had it so tough growing up. "Johnny where were your parents then?"

"They had died in a car wreck. I was only sixteen when I came out here. I hitchhiked across the country. My Aunt Rose lived out here. She is my mother's sister. I wanted to get as far away from the reservation as I could. She didn't even know I was coming. She took me in as soon as I found her. Turns out she had been trying to find me too. She's the best."

"Wow Johnny it took a lot of courage to travel alone across the country at sixteen years old."

"Nah, I hooked up with the rodeo and worked for them until we got out here. It wasn't as bad as it could have been."

"Oh so that's when you learned to trick ride."

"Well partly. Remember I told you I learned bareback first as a kid."

Mike returned his gaze to the ocean. He lowered his plate to a spot on his towel and leaned forward looking at some activity in the water. "It's her."

"Where? Which one?" Johnny turned to the direction Mike was looking.

"The one on the right." The two men watched as a very skilled surfer rode a big wave all the way to the beach never wavering or falling. "She's amazing."

"That's Lizzy," Johnny said knowingly.

"Lizzy?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, Lizzy Dunn, she's a pro surfer. Haven't you ever seen her in magazines or on the TV?"

"You know her?" Mike couldn't believe Johnny.

"Yeah," Johnny could see the look in Mike's eyes. He didn't know how much he should tell Mike about how well he knew Lizzy. "We uh we used to surf together. She um….well…."

"You dated her." It was not a question. Mike knew.


	10. Chapter 10

Going to Extreme Measures

Chapter 10

by GCS

_**DISCLAIMER: "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. and Universal Studios. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction. This story is only written for entertainment. No financial gain is being realized from it. The story, itself, is the property of the author.**_

Mike and Johnny had not noticed Lizzy coming over to them while they talked until she plopped down in the sand in front of them. Johnny never had a chance to explain to Mike about him and Lizzy. "Well if it isn't Johnny Gage. How're ya doing? I see you've already seen dad."

Johnny smiled a huge Gage grin at the beautiful brunette. "Hey Lizzy! It's great to see you. This is my friend Mike Stoker." Mike smiled shyly. "Mike this is Lizzy. She's Gus' daughter."

"Hello Mike, so what brings you guys to the beach today? I figured you would be fighting a fire somewhere or rescuing someone. Isn't that what you do now, rescue?" She placed her hand on his knee with a familiar touch.

"He's a paramedic now," Mike said with pride for his friend.

Lizzy looked over at Mike with the most beautiful brown eyes he'd ever seen and smiled, "A para what?"

"Paramedic. He not only rescues people he administers medical care under the direction of a doctor over a radio at the hospital. He was one of the first ever in the county. He and his partner Roy Desoto are the best paramedics in the area, even the country." Mike spoke more than he usually would to a stranger, well to most anyone outside his friends at the station. He was such a quiet man. His long dissertation surprised Johnny who leaned back on his elbows and smiled watching the two talk.

"Wow Johnny looks like you have a fan here. I had no idea you were interested in medicine."

"I…uh….I didn't know either. I helped a man that was injured in an electrical accident one time. I got him to the hospital alive, but he didn't make it. I watched his family grieve for him. It was such a waste. If he had gotten medical care sooner, at the scene, he would have had a chance. The department announced this new training and well my partner Roy Desoto was recruiting people. I met with him on the last day, and he talked me into it. The rest is history. It's really no big deal. Just doin' my job." Johnny beamed with pride in his accomplishment. He hadn't talked about it in a long time.

"No big deal! Don't let him fool you Lizzy. He and Roy are the first into a burning building or raging river to pull out victims. They don't come out until the victims are found unless they get hurt and have to be carried out themselves. Johnny has scaled cliffs, wandered the sewers as they filled with rainwater, run into more burning buildings than I can remember, balanced on construction cranes, and all while giving medical treatment. He and Roy do a fantastic job." Mike smiled at his friend.

"We couldn't do it without the support of our crew. Mike here is our engineer. He drives Big Red and manages the controls. He is by far the most skilled engineer and equipment specialist in the department. He can use the K-12 better than anyone. Roy and I couldn't get as many people out to safety if we didn't have people like Mike backing us up."

"Okay," Lizzy said laughing. "I get the picture. You guys work together and admire the job you each do. Wow I don't know when I've heard such raving reviews. I'm glad things worked out for you Johnny. So I see you have your boards. Are you going to hit the waves today?" Again Lizzy looked at Mike for an answer. Johnny thought she was already beginning to like his friend and he was glad.

"Maybe," Mike said tentatively. "I don't really know how. Johnny's been teaching me."

"Well I'm going to." Johnny grabbed his board and left the other two in the sand. He slipped into the ocean with ease, mounted his board and with skilled strokes was soon in position to catch the next good wave. Several other surfers also were waiting in the water near Johnny. The next good wave came up and the other surfers were up and trying to gain momentum before Johnny even moved into position. Most of them were already down before he was up. He glided across the crest of the wave with speed and grace, riding the wave all the way into the beach. He looked up at Lizzy and Mike, waved and turned back to return into the water for another ride.

Lizzy looked over at Mike and saw how amazed he was at Johnny's surfing skill. "He's pretty good."

Mike glanced at Lizzy, "Pretty good? He's better than I expected. He could be a pro."

"He was."

"What?" Mike said shocked at her statement.

"Before he decided he was going to be a fireman. Well I guess he decided that before ever coming to California. That's all he ever talked about. Anyway, my dad taught him how to surf. He was good. A natural, so dad got us both into the pro circuit. Johnny won just about every meet he competed in. He earned quite a bit of money too. I think that's how he supported himself while he trained to be a fireman. Then when he graduated he just walked away from it all. That made a lot of the other pro surfers really happy. Now they had a chance to win a few competitions. Johnny was on the cover to several magazines. I'm surprised you didn't know that. He's kind of hard to forget. Ya know?" Lizzy watched Johnny ride another wave. There was a crowd gathering on the beach watching him as well.

"I didn't know. He's never talked about it. Johnny is very private about his life before the department. I had no idea. You really like him don't you?"

"Johnny? No, I mean, yes, but he's like a brother to me. My dad helped him out until he found his aunt. Well we dated some when we were running the circuit. I think it was more convenience. You know how it is. Everyone has a date, or there is that slime ball that doesn't and a girl needs protection. I love Johnny, but not like that."

Mike smiled happily at her comments. Just then Johnny returned. "Wow that was awesome." He characteristically shook the water from his longer than regulation black hair. "You should give it a try Mike."

"After that performance you just gave? No way man." Mike shook his head.

"Aw come on Mike. I'll go out there with you." Lizzy urged him on.

"Well maybe. If you'll help teach me how to do it. I just learned to stand up on the board. I don't know if I can stay up long enough to actually surf." Lizzy took Mike by the hand and picked up her board. He reached for his.

"No come with me on mine. I'll help you. It's nice to learn with a skilled surfer on the same board the first time." She led him down the beach. Mike glanced over his shoulder at Johnny, and like a teenage boy in high school he smiled and leaned his head toward Lizzy. He was going to surf with the girl he had been watching for weeks. He was clearly excited. Johnny fell back on his towel laughing. It had turned out to be a great day on the beach.


	11. Chapter 11

**Going to Extreme Measures**

Chapter 11

by GCS

_**DISCLAIMER: "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. and Universal Studios. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction. This story is only written for entertainment. No financial gain is being realized from it. The story, itself, is the property of the author.**_

By the end of the afternoon on the beach and hitting the waves Mike was on his own board. Lizzy proved to be a wonderful teacher, but it was Johnny's unusual technique with showing Mike about balance that had really made the difference. Mike rode wave after wave without falling off his board.

Johnny had quite a following of spectators as did Lizzy. "Johnny you still have it. Maybe you should consider surfing part time. I think you could still take first place against any of the guys on the circuit."

"No Lizzy, I like what I do." He smiled and nudged her playfully. "Surfing is your bag. It always was. I'm a paramedic, and I think I'm pretty good at that too."

The three friends relaxed in the sand watching the sun as it began to drop in the sky. There were still a few surfers trying to get in an afternoon ride before the sun got too low. Suddenly there was a commotion further down the beach. Out of experience Johnny and Mike sat up straighter trying to determine if their help might be needed.

"Help! Someone please! He's drowning!" A young woman screamed as she ran from the water. "Help!"

Johnny and Mike jumped up and ran in the direction of the crowd. "Lizzy tell Gus to call the fire department."

Mike stopped for a second and told Lizzy to ask for an ambulance and a squad and then he ran to catch up to Johnny.

"Ma'am please calm down and tell me what happened," Johnny had reached the distraught woman.

"Jason, he was surfing and he fell off. He didn't come up. I couldn't find him. Please help him." She pointed to the spot where she last saw her friend. Johnny could see the board in the water trying to come in with the tide, but something was keeping it out. He grabbed the girl's board and ran into the waves. Quickly mounting the board he began paddling to the area where Jason had gone under.

Mike also took a board from a bystander and followed Johnny out. They could hear sirens in the distance. Johnny reached the area first and slipped from his board into the water. "Mike can you stay up top?"

"Sure Johnny I'll be right here when you find him." Mike watched as Johnny went down to try to find the missing surfer.

Johnny came back up a few minutes later pulling Jason up with him. The surf board still tied to his ankle had helped Johnny find him. He was unconscious obviously he had hit his head on something, maybe his board. He wasn't breathing. Johnny swam over to Mike and together they pulled Jason onto his board. Johnny started mouth to mouth. He checked for a pulse, and didn't find one. He knew that he couldn't do chest compressions where they were, so he continued to give breaths as they headed toward the beach.

Once they got close enough to shore for Mike to get off the borrowed board he and Johnny pulled Jason's board up on the beach. Johnny immediately began chest compressions and Mike took over breathing for the injured man. A few seconds later a team of paramedics ran over with their equipment.

"Gage, Stoker, what have you got?" Craig Brice asked as he stopped in the sand beside the group.

"Hit his head surfing. He was under about three minutes. He wasn't breathing when we got to him. I couldn't find a pulse," Johnny huffed out between compressions. "Get Rampart on the line. We need to shock him."

"One thing at a time Gage, I'll need to get vitals."

"I told you Craig he's got no pulse," Johnny raised his voice.

Mike had switched to the oxygen, and Bellingham was assisting with breaths. Mike reached over and grabbed the bio-phone. "Rampart this is squad fif…uh…sixteen. Do you read?"

"Squad calling in please repeat," Dr. Brackett answered from Rampart.

"Rampart this is squad sixteen."

"Go ahead sixteen."

"We have a male drowning victim age…" he looked over at the girl friend.

"Seventeen," she said through her tears.

"Age seventeen. He has suffered a blow to the head. He was under about three minutes. We are not sure how long he was not breathing. When we extracted him he had no pulse. We have been administering CPR."

"Sixteen do you have vitals."

"Rampart all vitals are currently assisted. Respirations 16, BP is…." He looked at Brice.

"90 over 60."

"Rampart BP is 90 over 60."

"Sixteen start an IV D5W wide open, and patch me in. Continue CPR and prepare to shock."

The team of firemen worked feverishly to revive the teen. They administered the medications Dr. Brackett ordered and shocked Jason's heart back into rhythm. By the time they had him loaded into the back of the ambulance both Johnny and Mike were exhausted. Lizzy was amazed at what she had just witnessed.

"Wow I can't believe you just saved that kid. He was….I mean….you…you brought him back. That…that was really something. You really are good at what you do Johnny. Both of you." She smiled at Mike. "You were both really amazing."

They walked over to Gus' stand. "Johnny what you did with that kid." Gus couldn't finish the sentence. He just nodded his head. "I'm proud of you boy. Very proud. How about something to drink? A soda?"

"Water." Johnny was still a little winded from all the work it took to continue CPR for so long. The adrenaline from the rescue had left and he could barely stand. He sat at one of the tables near the counter and laid his head on his arms. Mike got the water from Gus and took it over to Johnny.

"Here," he sat it down in front of Johnny. "I'll get out things loaded in the truck. You take it easy for a minute."

Lizzy walked with Mike. "Is he okay?"

"He's just tired. CPR is hard work. He'll probably be asleep before we get back on the main road." Mike chuckled. "One thing about Johnny he gives every rescue his all. He will not give up on a patient until he's dragged away. He and his partner Roy rarely lose a patient. When they do they take it very hard. They really do have a gift for what they do. They really are the best."

"Well I think I saw part of what makes them the best." Lizzy took Mike's hand in hers. "You were pretty good too."

"What? I didn't do anything but help Johnny."

"Mike you're too modest. You breathed life back into that boy. You talked to the hospital, giving them all those details. You didn't have to be given any directions. You knew what to do." She rubbed her other hand up and down his arm.

"Oh." Mike blushed.

"And to think I didn't even get to see you fight a fire." She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder.

Mike and Lizzy came back from loading the truck to find Johnny asleep. Mike woke him up enough to walk over to the truck. He nodded off again as soon as he sat in the truck. Gus came up just as Mike was getting into the driver's seat. "Here you go Mike. I know he'll be hungry when he wakes up. There's enough for you both."

"Thank you Gus. It's been nice meeting you and Lizzy today." Mike shook Gus' hand.

"It's been my pleasure Mike. Tell Johnny not to stay away so long this time. We enjoyed seeing him. He looks happy." Mike could see the pride in Gus' eyes.

"I'll make sure he comes back soon."

"Mike I hope you'll come back soon to practice your surfing." She slipped a piece of paper into his hand as she leaned in and kissed his cheek.

"I will." He blushed again.

When he pulled up at Johnny's place he took a minute to look at the piece of paper Lizzy had given him. On it was her phone number. He smiled. "Come on Johnny we're home." He nudged Johnny who stirred enough to open one eye. "Gus sent dinner. Let's go and eat. Then I'll head home. I'll pick you up in the morning for work since your Rover is still at the station."

"Okay," Johnny said as he slowly got out of the truck. "Man what a day."

"Yeah what a fantastic day!" Mike agreed with a bit more enthusiasm as he slipped Lizzy's number into his pocket. "What a fantastic day!"


	12. Chapter 12

**Going to Extreme Measures**

Chapter 12

by GCS

_**DISCLAIMER: "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. and Universal Studios. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction. This story is only written for entertainment. No financial gain is being realized from it. The story, itself, is the property of the author.**_

Mike and Johnny pulled up at the station last the next morning. Mike had to pick Johnny up and that made them later than he normally was. They weren't as late as Johnny usually arrived, but they were definitely later than Mike liked to be.

"Hey Roy get a look at that. Johnny and Mike must have had a busy day yesterday. They never even got back for Gage's car." Chet tried to get Roy to react. Roy simply glanced up and went back to reading the paper. "Aren't you even curious about what they were up to?"

"I know what they were up to Chet. Johnny called me last night and told me the whole thing. That's what friends do Chet. They share things." Roy didn't even look up at Chet. He just kept looking at the paper.

"Well?"

"Well what Chet?"

"Well aren't you going to tell the rest of us?"

"Chet if Johnny wants you to know what he and Mike did yesterday he'll tell you." This time he laid the paper down and glared at Chet.

"Okay Roy, don't get mad. I was just curious."

"Curious about what, Chester B?" Johnny asked as he came into the room and headed straight for the coffee pot.

"Nothing Gage."

"Well obviously you wanted to know something you've bothered my partner until he's mad about it. What do you want to know?" Johnny walked over and stood looking down at Chet who was now sitting on the couch petting Henry.

"I was just asking him what you and Mike did yesterday that caused you to be gone so long you didn't even get back for your Rover. That's all." Embarrassed he kept his head down.

"Why would you ask Roy? Why not ask me or Mike? We were the one's hanging out together Chet." Johnny was aggravated at Chet for bothering Roy with his questions.

"There was a drowning victim at the beach. Johnny and I had to do CPR until the squad got there. He was tired. I took him home and picked him up this morning. Any other questions Chet?" Mike was angry now too. He didn't like everyone knowing his business. Johnny was helping him and Chet didn't need to know about what he was helping with.

Chet knew better than to mess with Mike. "No. I didn't mean to upset you Mike. I just thought it was odd that's all."

"Odd Chet?" Mike was now standing beside Johnny. "What was odd?"

"That Gage didn't pick up his car." Chet was growing more and more uncomfortable.

"Roll call in five," Captain Stanley said from the doorway breaking the conversation. The men downed their coffee and filed out into the bay.

Mike came up behind Chet, placed his hand on his shoulder, squeezed, and quietly commented, "Don't pry into my business Chet, and when it concerns me you leave Johnny alone too. Got it?"

Chet pulled away from Mike's grip, "I got it."

After roll call everyone went about performing their assigned duties.

The tones went off sending the squad on a series of calls that kept them busy until late afternoon. The engine had several calls during that time as well, but they did manage to get back for lunch. When Johnny and Roy walked slowly into the kitchen and sat at the table without even looking for lunch the rest of the crew knew that they must have had a difficult run.

"Everything all right?" Captain Stanley asked. "You guys look beat."

"Yeah Cap just tired," Roy answered.

"You guys hungry?" Cap looked them over as he asked.

"Starved," Johnny looked up as he spoke. "Just too tired to get up and get it."

"Chet get their plates from the oven."

"Yes sir." Chet got up, got the plates from the oven and placed one in front of each of the paramedics. Marco got up and poured two glasses of milk putting them in front of Johnny and  
Roy.

"Thanks," they both said and slowly began eating. They hoped they would get to finish the meal.

The afternoon was slower for the men. Captain Stanley spent time in his office doing paperwork. Roy and Johnny relaxed in front of the TV. Chet sat at the table studying for the engineer's test. Marco and Mike were polishing the engine.

"Man Marco you should have seen Johnny trick riding yesterday."

"Trick riding? I knew he liked horses, but what kind of tricks can he do?"

Mike told Marco about Johnny's abilities on a horse. Then he let Marco in on his secret about what the two friends had been up to. He told about the balance training and the surfing lessons. Finally he admitted that it was all for a girl. He didn't tell the part about how Johnny knew Lizzy and Gus, but he did tell Marco that Johnny ended up knowing them. "Man Marco she is really something. She's a professional surfer. I don't think I've ever been this attracted to anyone."

"Well Mike I guess you never know when you'll meet that special person that you want to spend the rest of your life with. Maybe Lizzy is that woman." Marco smiled at his friend.

"What? No I mean, I don't think so. Maybe, I guess. We haven't even been on a date. I, yeah, she is beautiful and kind. I…." Mike didn't know what to think about Marco's comment.

"Relax Amigo; I'm sure if she is the one you will figure that out. If not just enjoy her company while you can." Marco patted Mike on the back.

"Yeah" Mike smiled back. "Yeah you're right."

In the dayroom Roy looked over at Johnny to see if he was napping. His legs were stretched out in front of the chair he was sitting in and his hands folded over his stomach. His head rested on the back of the chair, but he was awake. "Hey Johnny I have to fix that section of fence on our day off. If I can talk Joanne into inviting you to dinner do you think you could give me a hand?"

"Sure Roy what time should I come over?"

Before Roy had a chance to answer the telephone rang. Johnny got up to answer it. "Station 51 Fireman Gage speaking."

"Uncle Johnny!" Jennifer Desoto said over the phone. "Guess what Uncle Johnny?"

"What sweetheart?"

"I got an A on my spelling test!"

"That's great!"

"You haven't been over in a while to play with us. Can you come over soon?" Jenny asked in her sing song voice that Johnny could never say no to.

"Sure princess, your dad just asked me to come over and help him with some chores. I'll play catch with you and Chris when we're finished. Okay?" He smiled broadly.

"Okay Uncle Johnny."

"Would you like to talk to your dad and tell him about your test?" Johnny looked up at Roy who had come over beside him ready to take the phone.

"Yes sir." Johnny handed Roy the phone and went out into the bay to talk with Mike and Marco.

"Hey Mike did you call Lizzy yet?" Johnny asked. Marco and Mike both started laughing. Mike blushed. "What did I miss?" Neither man answered.

"I haven't called her yet," Mike finally said. "But I'm going to in a little while. I want to see if she would like to get together again on our day off. Do you want to come?"

"I promised Roy I'd help him with his fence and spend some time with Chris and Jenny."

"She said she was going to show me some of the magazine articles about her career. You sure you don't want to be there?" Mike asked knowing Johnny might also be in some of the articles and pictures. He hadn't told Marco about Johnny's surfing career. That was Johnny's business.

"Nah, I've seen 'em. I'm gonna go polish my shoes." Johnny turned and headed into the locker room.

He didn't get very far before the squad was called out again. They had a busy night.

The whole station was called out just after midnight to a fire at a storage facility that kept them out until an hour after their scheduled shift change. The tired group of men left the station, but would be back on duty in twenty four hours and then they would be off for three days.

Mike planned on spending his day off with Lizzy. They were going surfing again after he took a nap.


	13. Chapter 13

**Going to Extreme Measures**

Chapter 13

by GCS

_**DISCLAIMER: "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. and Universal Studios. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction. This story is only written for entertainment. No financial gain is being realized from it. The story, itself, is the property of the author.**_

Twenty four hours later the A-shift crew of Station 51 lined up for roll call in front of the engine. Everyone was present except for the youngest member of their crew. Johnny slipped into place at the end of the line just as Captain Stanley started to speak. "Good morning men. It's good to see everyone here on time this morning." All eyes looked over at Johnny who stood quietly looking at his feet. "Okay, assignments, Roy you're cooking today and the day room, Marco and Chet hang hose, Mike you have the dorms, John you have latrines. Dismissed."

The group of firemen all headed to the dayroom for a final cup of coffee before starting their duties, everyone except Johnny.

Johnny walked slowly to the door leading to the locker room.

"What's with Gage this morning?" Chet asked as the rest of the crew sat around the table drinking coffee and reading the paper.

"How am I supposed to know? I'm not his keeper." Roy said apparently aggravated at the question.

"Whoa Roy, what did Gage do now?" Chet pressed again.

Roy just shot a glare at Chet.

"Leave it alone Chet," Captain Stanley said.

"But Cap something is obviously wrong. Johnny's too quiet and Roy here is mad at him. I just think that as we are all depending on them to work as a team we should get to know what's going on."

"I said leave it Chet. When you become Captain you can demand answers, but until then I am in charge here." Hank sipped his coffee and rose from the table. "I don't want to hear you asking again. What I do want is to see you hanging hose."

"Yes sir," Chet said as he rinsed his coffee mug, turned from the sink and left the dayroom mumbling under his breath with Marco following closely behind him.

"Roy, if there is anything you need to discuss, I'll be in my office."

"There's nothing Cap." Roy continued staring at his empty mug.

Mike got up and left the room without commenting. He walked slowly passed Big Red as he headed toward the dorm thinking she needed polishing. He pushed open the door to the locker room and found Johnny sitting in his locker with his head in his hands. "Johnny?"

Johnny didn't move or act as though he had even heard Mike.

"Johnny are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh sorry Mike did you say something?"

"Are you all right?" Mike was concerned at Johnny's slow reactions.

"Yeah, yeah I'm good. I….uh…I need to get busy on the latrines." He stood slowly and picked up the cleaning supplies that he had beside the bench and disappeared into the latrines without another word.

'_Roy's mad at me for not showing up to help him yesterday like I promised. I don't know why. I did call him. I couldn't help it.' _He began scrubbing the tiles in the shower stall. The smell of the cleaner made his nose hurt. His eyes were watering, but they had been doing that for a couple of days. _'He should know I wouldn't bail on him without a good reason. Well he'll just have to get over being mad. I can't help it.' _He leaned his head against his arm. He had a headache. Truth was he felt really bad all over. His nose was running, the smell of the cleaner made his sinuses burn. He was achy and wished he could just lay down in his bunk and sleep. _'I just didn't want to make the kids sick. They pick up every infection they get exposed to. Why didn't he understand that? _He started cleaning again. _'Maybe if you had told him you didn't feel good instead of just telling him you couldn't come. Man Gage, you screwed up again.'_

In the kitchen Roy was also thinking about the day before. _'Johnny must have had good reason for not showing up yesterday like he promised.' _He wiped down the counter._ 'Yeah right, probably some chick. He just got distracted again. I really needed his help. He knew I needed his help and he let me down.' _ He moved to clean the top of the table. _'No that's not right, he promised the kids he'd play catch with them, and he never breaks a promise to the kids. He must have had a very good reason, but why didn't he explain it to me this morning?' _

The tones were quiet and the men had plenty of time to finish their chores. One by one they came back into the day room. Marco and Chet looked for something to watch on TV. Roy was reading the sports page, and Mike was working the crossword puzzle from the paper. Johnny was again missing from the group. Captain Stanley came in for a refill on his now cold coffee. "Everyone finished with chores?"

"Yes sir," the group of men answered together.

"Where's John?" Hank asked.

"He was still in the latrine when I came from the dorm," Mike answered.

"Well when he's done we need to go over the floor plan of that warehouse that opened up in our territory last week. Someone go check on him if he's not done in ten minutes." Hank went back to his office.

After ten minutes with no sign of Johnny Mike slid his chair back, "I guess if no one else is going I'll go check on Johnny." He left the room. Looking in the latrines he didn't see Johnny anywhere. He saw the cleaning supplies stacked on the bench near Johnny's locker. He peeked into the dorm and saw Johnny lying on his bunk covered in a blanket. Walking over he could hear the deep breathing of sleep. He turned and quietly left the room.

"Cap," Mike stuck his head in the door. "Johnny's in his bunk. He's…uh…he's asleep."

"Asleep?" Hank asked concerned. "That's not like Johnny." Rising from his chair he followed Mike out of the office and across the bay. Moving quietly into the dorm Hank walked over beside Johnny's bunk. Johnny stirred and let out a soft moan. Hank reached down and laid his hand on Johnny's forehead much like he would his own children. "He's awfully warm. Mike maybe you should get Roy to come in here."

Mike walked swiftly across the bay and called Roy from the doorway as he moved to the compartments on the squad to get the drug box. "Roy, Cap needs you in the dorm."

"What's up Mike?" Roy asked as he came up beside him by the squad.

"Johnny's sick."

"What? What's wrong with him?" Roy walked quickly through the locker room to the dorm. Coming up beside Johnny's bunk Roy immediately placed his hand on Johnny's forehead. "He's definitely got a fever." He reached for Johnny's wrist to get his pulse. "Mike can you get me the cuff?" After a quick assessment Roy decided that he would feel better if he consulted with one of the doctors at Rampart. He didn't want to call in a run so he used the telephone to call the nurse's desk in hopes of getting Dixie.

"Rampart Emergency, Nurse McCall speaking."

"Dixie, this is Roy Desoto."

"Well hello Roy. To what do we owe this unexpected treat?" Dixie smiled.

"Um could I…is there a doctor around?"

"Who's sick Roy? Is everything all right? You just came on shift right?"

"Yes, it's Johnny. We found him in his bunk. He has a fever 102. He didn't complain about any symptoms. Well he uh he didn't come over yesterday, so I guess he wasn't feeling well then. But you know Johnny Dix. He never complains when he is really sick, only when it's something little like a scratch or something."

"Hang on a minute Roy." He could hear her call out to Dr. Brackett to come to the phone.

"Hello Roy, what's going on with Johnny?" Roy explained again to Dr. Brackett.

"Well since we don't really know what is going on to cause the fever, and you said he didn't complain of any symptoms, I think we need to run a blood test. How do his lungs sound?" Dr. Brackett rubbed his hand across his forehead.

"Well he sounds congested, but he hasn't been coughing any."

"He could have the beginnings of pneumonia. I'd like to get him in here."

"Okay Dr. Brackett. Can you hang on a second?"

"Sure Roy."

"Cap Dr. Brackett thinks it might be the beginnings of pneumonia. He wants me to bring him in."

"Do you want me to call for an ambulance?" Hank asked.

"I could take him in the squad if you help me with him. It would be faster. I'll be out of service until you get a replacement anyway."

"Okay with me if it's okay with Dr. Brackett. I'll start working on a replacement. Mike will help you get him in the squad."

"Dr. Brackett we'll bring him in the squad, ETA 15 minutes."

"Okay Roy we'll be waiting." Brackett hung up.

"Johnny." Roy gently shook Johnny's shoulder. "Wake up for me Junior."

"Huh? "m sorry Roy. I would've come. I don't feel well. I didn't want to make the kids sick. 'm really sorry I let ya down."

"Hush Johnny it's okay. I'm gonna take you to see Dr. Brackett." Roy gently helped Johnny sit up. "Come on out to the squad."

"I don't want to Roy. He'll give me a shot." Johnny whined. His head lulled to the side.

"Come on Johnny I'll help you." Mike put his arm around Johnny's back and lifted him off the bunk.

"Okay Mike, but I just wanna go home. I feel lousy."

"I know Johnny. It's okay." Mike kept moving toward the squad supporting Johnny.

At the hospital it was determined that Johnny did in fact have the beginnings of pneumonia. He was started on some strong antibiotics and settled into a room.

The horseback riding, afternoon of surfing with Mike and Lizzy combined with the extended CPR he had to perform on the swimmer, and then the busy shift that followed had helped make him sick.


	14. Chapter 14

Going to Extreme Measures

Chapter 14

By GCS

_**DISCLAIMER: "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. and Universal Studios. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction. This story is only written for entertainment. No financial gain is being realized from it. **_

_**The story, itself, is the property of the author.**_

Roy stayed with Johnny at the hospital until he was settled in his room. He had to wait for a replacement to arrive before the squad could go back into service anyway. Johnny's fever had risen and he slept restlessly. Roy brushed the damp hair from his forehead and placed a cool cloth there. "Relax Junior, you're gonna be okay. Dr. Brackett thinks he caught the infection in time to turn things around."

"R roy?"

"You should be sleeping. Try to sleep Johnny."

"I'm sick Roy. Don't feel good. T tell J Jenny 'n Chris 'm sorry about y yes yesterday."

"I know Junior. They'll understand. I'm sorry I was upset at you this morning. You should have told me you were sick when you called yesterday. We could have brought you to see Dr. Brackett and maybe prevented this from getting so bad."

"I didn't t think it w was this b bad. Ss sorry."

"Okay. Just sleep Johnny. It's the best thing for you right now." Roy bathed Johnny's face with the cloth, rewet it and replaced it on his forehead. I have to get back to the station now. Dwyer's coming in. He should be there soon. I'll stop by on our next run." He stood by the bed and watched Johnny finally relax in sleep.

Roy stopped by the nurse's desk on the way through the ER. Dixie looked up and smiled at him, "Don't worry about Johnny. He'll be fine in a few days. Kel thinks we caught the infection in time to turn it around before it gets any worse."

"I know," Roy bit the inside of his lip.

"Then why so glum?" Dixie knew Roy would somehow feel guilty about Johnny being sick. Those two always blamed themselves when their partner was injured or sick. It was one of the endearing qualities Dixie loved about her two favorite paramedics. Their loyalty to each other was unmatched.

"I was mad at him for not helping me yesterday. I just thought he had met some girl or something. I didn't even check on him last night and this morning at the station I didn't pay attention." He shook his head at the memory.

"Roy, John Gage is a grown man and a paramedic at that. He should have known to come in here yesterday himself."

"I know Dix, but he said he wasn't thinking clearly. He was sick, and I didn't even see it."

"You got him here when it mattered Roy. You've never let Johnny down. He knows that and so do you."

"Yeah, I guess." He looked up at Dixie and gave her a slight smile. "He'll be all right now." It was more a statement than a question.

"Yes Roy, I'll check on him in a little while. He should sleep for at least a few hours on those strong meds Kel has him on. Go on back to the station. He'll be in good hands." She patted his arm and pushed the HT towards him.

"See ya Dix, and um…..thanks."

Back at the station Mike decided that he would call Lizzy and let her and Gus know about Johnny. He explained how Johnny was prone to illness after he had been hit by a car and had his spleen removed. Johnny hadn't told them about that. Lizzy promised to visit Johnny later in the day since his best friends were all on shift.

When she arrived at the hospital she slipped quietly into the darkened room. She stood by the door looking at Johnny. 'Wow Johnny what have you done to yourself now,' she thought. He looked like a little kid curled up in the bed with the blanket half covering his head. She could hear the raspy breathing. Johnny loved the sun, but the shades were drawn making the room dim. She knew that was a sign of how sick he was.

She walked up to the bedside and placed her hand on his shoulder feeling the warmth from fever. "Hey Johnny."

He slowly turned his head toward her and squinted.

"I hear you're not feeling too well."

He tried to give Lizzy a smile, but ended up coughing instead.

"Shh. It's okay sweetie, I'm just going to sit with you for a little while. Do you need anything?" Like most everyone else she brushed the stray damp hairs from his face.

"T th thirsty."

Lizzy poured some cool water from the pitcher into a cup and placed the straw to his lips. Johnny gingerly sipped the cool liquid. Lizzy remembered when her dad had found the sick young man in his hot dog stand. He was so weak, she had helped him drink then too. She loved him like a brother and hated seeing him sick again. The water felt good going down his sore throat. "Is that better?" He nodded and turned back over pulling the covers up to his ears once again and drifted back to sleep.

Lizzy sat in the chair beside the bed. She reached for the TV controls and turned it on. With the volume turned very low she watched the news, and then an afternoon soap that she knew nothing about. She didn't really watch TV much, but there was nothing else to do. After a while she wandered to the nurse's station to ask about some coffee. Dixie was just coming up to check on Johnny and had stopped to ask the floor nurses about how he was doing. "Excuse me, but I am visiting my friend John Gage and wondered where I might get a cup of coffee."

"Oh you're a friend of Johnny's?" Dixie asked protectively. She didn't know this woman.

"Yes, I've known him a very long time."

Dixie smiled at the beautiful young woman. "Oh? Johnny is a good friend of mine as well. I don't believe we've ever met."

Lizzy looked closely at Dixie, "No I don't believe we have. My name is Elizabeth. My friends call me Lizzy. Johnny stayed with my father Gus when he first came to California looking for his aunt. We used to surf together."

"Johnny can surf?" Dixie didn't know that he surfed. He had never told her.

"Oh yes he's very good. Why before he became a fireman he was on the professional circuit. He was at the top. One of the best new surfers to ever compete, but he gave it all up to run into burning buildings. I'll never understand him." Lizzy chuckled at the memory.

"A professional?" Dixie knew Johnny was a complex man, but she never dreamed he had given up professional surfing and all its glory not to mention the money he could have made to be a fireman.

"Oh yes he was very good. Still is really when he gets to the beach, but he doesn't come around that often. I ran into him the other day when he was there with Mike. Johnny's been teaching Mike to surf. I'm sure you know Mike. He's the engineer at Johnny's station. I watched while they rescued a drowning man and literally breathed the life back into him."

"Well that would help explain why he's here now. That man will never learn to take care of himself." Dixie smiled. "I had heard an off duty paramedic had helped revive that swimmer, but I didn't know it was Johnny. Trouble just seems to follow him around."

"It was pretty amazing to watch. He must be good at his job." Lizzy knew the answer before Dixie even said anything.

"He graduated top of his class. He and his partner Roy are the best team of paramedics from this hospital. Now how about that coffee?" Dixie walked around the desk and poured a cup for Lizzy. "Cream and sugar?"

"No just black please. I have to watch my figure you know."

"Come on let's go see about Johnny. I was just on my way to check on him myself. Then I have to get back downstairs to the ER." The two new friends walked back to Johnny's room to find him awake and watching TV through barely open eyes. "Well hello there handsome. I thought you would be asleep."

He smiled at Dixie, "Thirsty Dix."

She picked up the cup and held the straw for him. He drank greedily. "Okay not too fast. We don't want you getting sick." She knowingly smiled at him. She had seen John Gage lose his stomach too many times to not know he needed to take things slow. "I'm going to check your vitals and get a temp okay?"

"K"

"Hey Johnny." Lizzy said as she came up next to him when Dixie walked to the end of the bed to get his chart. "Dad said he sends his love and will send some chili dogs when you're up to it. He also said to tell you he would get by sometime later when he closes up the stand for the night."

"Don't have to."

"I know he doesn't Johnny, but he wants to. He was so happy to see you the other day. It's been a long time, and he cares too much to not stop by. Okay?"

"K" Johnny was tiring quickly and his eyes drooped.

"You just get some sleep. I'm going to go call Mike and let him know how you're doing. I promised him I would." She turned to leave and smiled at Dixie, "I'll give you some space while you check him out. I'm going to go use the pay phone."

"You can stop by the desk. Tell the nurse I said you could use the phone to call his station. They'll understand. Those boys have been calling for an update almost every hour. She'll be glad to let you call them instead." Dixie laughed at the thought of the worried shift mates back at the station.


	15. Chapter 15

**Going to Extreme Measures**

Chapter 15

By GCS

_**DISCLAIMER: "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. and Universal Studios. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction. This story is only written for entertainment. No financial gain is being realized from it. The story, itself, is the property of the author.**_

"Station 51 Fireman Kelly speaking," Chet said answering the ringing phone in dayroom.

"Hello, could I speak to Mike Stoker please?" Lizzy asked.

"May I tell him who is calling?" Chet did not remember a female calling for Mike and curiosity was getting the best of him.

"Elizabeth Dunn."

"Hold on a sec, I'll get him." Chet laid the receiver down and went to the bay to call Mike to the phone. As often was the case Mike was polishing his beloved engine. "Oh Mikey! There's a woman on the phone for you," Chet sing songed calling Mike to the phone. "Says her name is ."

"Shut up Chet," Mike said as he brushed by him on the way to the phone. "Hello Lizzy." He turned his back to the room to have as private a conversation as he could.

"Hey Mike, I was just visiting Johnny and thought I'd give you an update. He's pretty sick. I think his temperature is pretty high. Mostly he's sleeping. I met a nurse, Dixie. I think that's her name. She's checking on him now."

"She's the head nurse in the ER. She works with Johnny and Roy when they bring in patients. She'll take good care of him. She cares a lot about those two. Is he on oxygen?"

"No. At least he wasn't when I left the room, but he didn't sound too good either. He was sick when my dad found him sleeping at the hot dog stand, but it was nothing like this."

"Yeah Johnny's had a lot of smoke inhalation that has caused him to be more susceptible to pneumonia. Then of course there's having his spleen removed. He's tough though." Mike rubbed his forehead. He was worried about his friend. "I should have made sure he got dry clothes the other day. Maybe made sure he got a hot shower."

"Mike you are not responsible for him being sick. He's a grown man. These things just happen."

"I know, but…"

"No buts Mike Stoker. I'm telling you this is not your fault. Stop beating yourself up over Johnny being sick. He wouldn't want you to do that." Lizzy reasoned with Mike.

"Okay Lizzy. Do me a favor and tell Johnny we'll try to stop by when we get a chance. If not before I'll get by after shift in the morning."

"I will Mike. Is there any chance we could see each other tomorrow?" She asked hopefully.

"I'd like that," He smiled.

"I'd like that too. I'll be at the stand helping dad tomorrow afternoon if you feel like some surfing."

"I'll let you know. It depends on how Johnny's doing. But can we at least plan on dinner? I'll make some spaghetti. You could come to my place for dinner." Mike hoped she would say yes. He wanted to get to know her better.

"That would be nice. I'm going to go back and visit with Johnny a little longer. If there's any change I'll call you back."

Just as he was about to tell her goodbye the tones went off. "Uh Lizzy we got a call. I gotta go." He hung up the phone before she could say goodbye.

She stood at the nurse's desk with her hand on the receiver for a few minutes. "Is everything alright miss?" a nurse asked her.

"Oh sorry, yes everything is alright. Everything is perfect." Lizzy smiled broadly. She was going to Mike's for dinner tomorrow night. She really liked him, and couldn't help the excitement growing as she thought about spending an evening at his house. And he could cook. There were definite possibilities with this man. She walked back toward Johnny's room. She stopped at the door when she saw a doctor leaning over the bed listening to Johnny's chest.

"Johnny your lungs are pretty congested. I think we need to put you on some oxygen to help you breathe. I'm going to increase your antibiotic. I don't like the way things are sounding. I want to try to keep you off the vent this time." He reached for the oxygen mask on the wall.

Johnny looked up at him wearily, "Okay doc."

Dixie was bathing his face with a damp cloth. "Don't worry tiger. We're going to have you better in no time."

Lizzy could tell by the way the doctor and nurse took care of Johnny that they really cared about him. She knew he didn't have any family except his aunt, and she was glad to know he had made some good friendships during his years in the fire department. She walked into the room and stood by the door waiting to be sure she wouldn'tnb be in the way.

"Lizzy this is Dr. Brackett," Dixie introduced him. "Kel this is Lizzy. She's a friend of Johnny's."

"Well really he's more like family. We kind of adopted him a long time ago, my dad and me. He's pretty important to us, we just kind of lost track of him for a while. I found him on the beach the other day with a friend of his and now he's ended up here." She stepped up and shook Dr. Brackett's hand.

"Lizzy watched Johnny and Mike Stoker work on that drowning victim the other day. Johnny was the off duty paramedic we heard about." Dixie explained.

"I see," Brackett said knowingly. "Well that helps explain the pneumonia."

"Is he going to be alright?" Lizzy asked.

"Well he's pretty sick right now, but he'll be fine in time. Unfortunately this is not the first time we've nursed Johnny through pneumonia. His immune system is just not as strong as it used to be." Dr. Brackett patted Johnny on the leg. "Take it easy Johnny. I'll be back to check on you in a couple of hours. Nice to meet you." He said to Lizzy as he left the room.

"Lizzy don't stay too long. He need's his rest." Dixie smiled at Lizzy. She knew her presence was good for Johnny, but she didn't want him trying to stay awake to entertain her.

"No I won't Dixie. Thank you for taking such good care of him."

"He's worth it." Dixie put her hand on Johnny's forehead one last time before leaving the room.

"Hey Johnny-bro, you really have some good friends, especially that Mike Stoker. Why have you been keeping him from me all this time?"

"Huh?" Johnny looked up at her confused.

"Nothing sweetie, I'm going to go now. I'll tell dad to wait until tomorrow to visit. You try to get some sleep okay?" She kissed him on the cheek and brushed the damp hair from his forehead. "I love you Johnny-bro."

"Love you too Lizzy," he whispered.

Roy stood outside the door to Johnny's room not wanting to disturb the two friends while they said their goodbyes. Lizzy came out of the room and almost ran into Roy. "Oh hi Roy."

"Hi Lizzy, how's he doing?"

"The doctor put him on oxygen. He said he was increasing the antibiotic. I'm really worried about him. Dad was going to come by tonight after he closed the stand, but I'm going to tell him to wait til tomorrow. Maybe Johnny will feel better by then. It's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too Lizzy. Tell Gus I said hello." He turned and went into Johnny's room. "Hey Junior." Johnny looked up at his partner through glossy eyes. "How ya feeling?" Roy knew the answer, but that question just always came out when he was visiting his partner in the hospital.

"K"

"Yeah, I can see that." He said sarcastically. "We just got back from a house fire. I rode in with a smoke inhalation victim. Cap and the guys are going to stop by in a minute." Just as he finished telling Johnny the crew was coming by they all filtered into the room.

"Hey Gage I see you're laying around on the job again," Chet ribbed Johnny.

"Stow it Kelly," Captain Stanley said walking up to the bedside. "How's he doing Roy?"

"He's doing okay Cap. He had a visitor when I got here, his friend Lizzy."

"Lizzy was here?" Mike asked with much enthusiasm. The other members of his crew looked at Mike astonished at how he lit up at the mention of Lizzy.

"Lizzy as in Elizabeth Dunn?" Chet asked. Mike just glared at Chet. "Well?"

"She's an old friend of Johnny's." Roy explained.

"Do you know Lizzy Roy?" Mike asked.

"Sure Johnny and I go by Gus' stand for chili dogs whenever we get out that way on a run. Johnny's known them a long time."

"Oh." Mike's face reddened when he realized his conversation with Roy was the center of attention. He patted Johnny's knee and backed against the wall beside the door, leaned back and crossed his arms and resumed his normal quiet behavior.

"Well men, John needs his rest, and we have a station to get back to. John, I hope you feel better." Captain Stanley clapped his hands together, "Let's go guys." The engine crew turned to leave.

Marco walked over to the bed, "Mama sends her love Johnny. She said when you are better she will be bringing you something good to eat." The engine crew left.

"Johnny, I'm sorry I didn't see how bad you felt. I should have known you were sick…." Roy didn't get to say much about how bad he felt about not realizing Johnny was so sick before Johnny interrupted him.

"No Roy. Not your fault. I should have said something."

Not wanting to upset Johnny he let the subject drop. He could talk to Johnny about it later. "Okay, I guess I better go too. Brice is downstairs restocking. He'll be waiting for me. I'll see you when we get another run."

Johnny raised his hand and gave a little wave to his best friend, closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

"Hey Mike how did you meet Johnny's friend?" Chet asked as soon as they got back to the station. Mike did not answer. "Earth to Mike….."

"What do you want Chet?" Mike asked annoyed at the interrogation.

"I just wanted to know how you know that girl."

"None of your business Chet."

"Oh testy. What are you so upset for Mike? Do you like her?"

"Shut up Chet." Mike stopped and stood directly in front of Chet almost nose to nose. "It's none of your business." He stalked out of the dayroom and headed to the dorm.

"Hey Marco I think Mikey has a new girlfriend."

Marco smiled at Chet, "I think you are right Amigo, but you better watch yourself with Mike. He's not as easy going as Johnny is."

"I know that Marco. I sure do miss my pigeon too." The squad backed into the bay and Chet went to talk to Roy meeting him before he could get out of the squad. "Hey Roy, Johnny didn't look too good."

"No Chet he's in the hospital."

"Yeah, yeah I know. Is he going to be alright?"

"I think so Chet, but I thought you didn't care." Roy smiled at Chet.

"I just….I just don't want to have to break in a new pigeon."

"Yeah, sure Chet I know." Roy laughed as he went into the kitchen and over to the coffee pot. They all knew that deep down Chet cared deeply for Johnny and Johnny for Chet. They just had this unwritten agreement to annoy each other as much as possible. No one understood it, it was just that way.

"So Roy, why don't you tell me about that friend of Johnny's you mentioned at the hospital?" The mischievous look Chet got in his eyes when he was up to something did not go unnoticed by Roy.

"Nothing to tell Chet, she's an old friend of Johnny's. Her dad is the Gus that owns Gus' Chili Cheese Dog down at the beach. I think she's a professional surfer when she isn't helping her dad."

"Professional surfer, Gage knows a professional surfer, and he's never bragged about it? No way man….no way."


	16. Chapter 16

**Going to Extreme Measures**

Chapter 16

By GCS

_**DISCLAIMER: "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. and Universal Studios. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction. This story is only written for entertainment. No financial gain is being realized from it. The story, itself, is the property of the author.**_

Over the next few days Johnny improved greatly. The antibiotics kicked in and allowed him to avoid the vent. Dr. Brackett was so pleased with his progress he had promised to let him go home in a few days.

Mike and Lizzy had spent all of their free time together, some of it visiting Johnny. The spaghetti dinner at Mike's home had given them the opportunity to really get to know each other better. So far it seemed that they were fast becoming the perfect couple.

Chet still would not believe that Johnny knew a surfer chick and had not bragged about it, but he had not discussed it with Johnny yet. The engine crew had decided to pay Johnny a visit after lunch today. What they didn't know is that Mike would be bringing that surfer chick with him, but first he was meeting her for a breakfast picnic on the beach.

It was starting out to be a warm day. The sun was bright and hung lazily in a clear blue sky. Mike pulled his truck into the parking area close to Gus' stand and put it in park.

He smiled as he looked over and found Lizzy walking along the breaking waves in a white sun dress that hung almost to the ground, but had a slit up the side which caused it to move more freely with her body. The dress was obviously meant to be beach attire. Her hair blew off her shoulders in the breeze, and she carried a seashell in her hand. She was the picture of a fashion model in one of those magazine spreads of beach attire only to Mike she was far more beautiful.

He slid from the truck and grabbed the basket of food he had prepared for them. It was a simple breakfast of croissants, cheese, fruit and coffee. He knew she watched her weight for her training. To him she didn't need to worry too much about it. She was perfect.

She spotted him as he approached and met him half way. "I have a blanket over at the stand."

"Okay let's get it and go over by those rocks. I think it will be more private if anyone decides to venture out this early," he said taking her arm.

The early morning beach goers were usually runners or walkers or families with small children. They really didn't have to worry about being disturbed, but Mike liked the solitude they would have between the outcroppings of rock. There it would be as if they were all alone in a secluded place. He wanted to be alone with Lizzy, to spend more quality time with her. Mike Stoker was falling in love.

"You smell nice," he whispered closely in her ear. She could feel his warm breath brush across it. Stopping before picking up the blanket she had folded on a picnic table beside her dad's hot dog stand she turned to face him.

She took his hand and pulled him closely looking up into his eyes. With her other hand she reached up and smoothed his hair and placed her hand on the side of his face. After looking deeply into each other's eyes for what seemed like a lifetime he bent down and slowly brushed his lips across hers. Then he sat the basket down and took her in his arms and kissed her again more deeply. She kissed him back wrapping her arms around his neck and playing with his hair.

"Lizzy," he said breathlessly when they finally pulled only a few inches away. "I want…no I need you to be sure this is what you want." She looked into his eyes and smiled. "I mean I'm falling in love with you and…"

She put her finger over his lips, "I'm sure Mike. I've never been more sure. I want to see where this is going." She kissed him lightly, "I'm already in love with you." He pulled her fully into his arms and kissed her again.

"Good, I was hoping you'd say that." A very contented smile crossed his face. "I don't think I would have been able to continue seeing you if you didn't. It would have been too difficult."

"Can you do me a favor?" She asked him as he continued holding her closely.

"Anything."

"Could you call me Beth?" Her gaze lowered. He reached and took her chin in his hand and raised her face back to his and waited for her to explain. "My mother used to call me Beth. No one has called me that since she died back in Hawaii except Johnny. My dad always calls me Lizzy. I know dad loves me, but my mom….well I haven't felt that special kind of love in a very long time. Dad was so hurt when she died. That's why we moved here. He just closed up part of his heart, because it was to painful to remember that kind of love. I would like it if you called me Beth."

"Thank you Beth for letting me love you like that. I would be honored to call you by that special name." he kissed her more deeply and held her in the morning sunshine for a long time.

Later that morning, Mike and Beth stopped by to see her dad and get some "special" chili dogs he wanted to send to Johnny. "Hey dad where are those old surfing magazines you kept?"

"What would you want with those?"

"Well first of all I wanted to show Mike some of the articles about my career, and secondly I wanted to take them to the hospital and let Johnny see the pictures of him on the covers. I think it would be fun."

"Okay, they're in the bottom drawer of the desk, but I want them back." Gus smiled at his daughter. He was extremely proud of her surfing career and wanted to hang on to those memories.

"I'll bring them back," she said with a tinge of aggravation.

"She'll bring them back sir," Mike smiled.

Gus slapped him on the back good humouredly, "Good man."

Beth looked back at the exchange between her dad and Mike. She was glad her dad approved. She had big plans for Mike Stoker. "Here they are, Mike let's get over there and see Johnny before these dogs get cold. There is nothing worse than cold chili dogs."

When they arrived at the hospital and walked into Johnny's room hand in hand he knew that things were heating up for the couple. Lizzy was like a sister to him and Mike a brother. It would make him very happy to see them together. "Hey."

"Hey Johnny-bro, how are you today?" Lizzy kissed his cheek. Mike chuckled at her name for Johnny.

"Ready to get out of here," Johnny grumbled.

"Well I brought you some of Dad's old magazines to look at. There are some really great shots of you in them. I thought Mike would like to look at them too, but first here are some of the best chili dogs in California."

Johnny smiled broadly, "Best chili dogs on the continent." Johnny happily devoured the food while Lizzy showed Mike some of the pictures.

"Can I ask you something Beth?" Mike looked over at her with questioning eyes.

"Beth?" Johnny asked.

Lizzy looked over at Johnny and smiled. "Well you know Johnny-bro my mom used to call me that."

"I know." He knew if Lizzy had asked Mike to call her that then things really were getting serious. She had asked him to call her that too a long time ago. He always did when they were on the circuit. In front of Gus and others he used the name her dad called her. "It's special."

"Yes it is. I wanted Mike to call me that." She sat on the arm to the chair where Mike sat and took his hand.

"I'm glad Beth. I'm glad for both of you."

Mike smiled widely, "If it weren't for you and the surfing lessons we would never have met."

"You never know, but I'm glad I could help." Not wanting the conversation to get too serious Johnny reached for the magazine Mike was holding. "Let me see that picture." Taking it he whistled. "Man I was young."

"When were you not young Gage?" Chet said as the rest of the A-shift filtered into the room. "You're still a baby."

"Hello Amigo," Marco greeted.

"John, I hope you're getting out of here and back to work soon. Your partner really needs a break from Brice," Captain Stanley commented. "But don't tell him I told you. He'll be up in a minute. He stopped to say hello to Dixie."

"What-cha lookin' at Gage?" Chet looked over Johnny's shoulder at the article he was looking at.

"An article about surfing."

"You wish you could move like that. Look at the way that guy is riding that wave. You couldn't do that if you tried." Chet didn't have a clue that the article was about Johnny.

Marco and Cap who were standing behind Chet also looked at the article. They exchanged knowing glances. There was no mistaking the man on the surf board. Captain Stanley had known of Johnny's surfing career. Since it had been his source of income before joining the department, it was in his employee records. Cap had just never brought it up out of respect for Johnny's privacy.

"Hey Johnny," Roy said as he entered the room. "I just talked to Brackett. He said you can get out of here tomorrow and might be back at work soon."

"That's great," everyone agreed.

"Hello Mike, Lizzy," Roy greeted.

"Hey Mike you didn't introduce us to your friend," Chet had noticed the nice looking woman sitting next to Mike.

"Um everyone, this is Beth," Mike nervously introduced her. "She's a good friend of Johnny's. Her dad is Gus of Gus' Chili Cheese Dog down on the beach."

"Beth?" Roy asked.

"Elizabeth," Lizzy answered. "My dad calls me Lizzy; my mom always called me Beth. It's nice to meet all of you."

"Wow your dad has the best dogs," Chet exclaimed.

"She's also a professional surfer," Johnny told them.

"You mean you really do know a professional surfer?" Chet asked.

"Uh yeah Chet, I know a lot of professional surfers. For instance I know this guy right here." He pointed to a picture of a tall dark haired surfer. Roy smiled as he recognized Johnny's picture.

"How do you know that guy?"

"Chet, he is that guy," Mike announced.

Chet's mouth fell open in disbelief. "No way man let me see that." He took the magazine and looked at the picture on the cover. The guy was young, but it was clearly Johnny. "What did you do Gage, pay someone to make a fake magazine cover?"

"No Chet I didn't pay someone to make a fake magazine cover. Read the article."

Chet opened the magazine and read about Johnny's award winning surfing career. "Why would you leave all that fame and fortune to become a fireman? Are you nuts?"

"Well Chet I always wanted to be a fireman. Surfing was just something I fell into when I met Beth and Gus. I had to pay the bills somehow while I attended the academy. Surfing was easy, so that's what I did." Johnny laughed at the look of astonishment Chet had on his face. Obviously Johnny had gotten the best of the phantom.

The rest of the group laughed as well.

Dixie had stood in the doorway watching the interchange between her favorite fire crew. She was glad to see that the quiet Mike Stoker had found someone to love and she liked her, Roy would soon have his partner back, Marco and Cap were proud of Johnny's surfing career, and once again Johnny pulled one over on the phantom.

She slipped from the room thinking that Johnny Gage had many layers. Some that they might never know about, but getting to know him better was certainly an adventure she enjoyed.

The end


End file.
